Title Defense 3, Homecoming @ Death Valley; Looking Ahead to Maryland

3rd Title Defense
...If you don't have a belt, you ain't nothing....Whooo!


Let's get right to the polls...there has been a shake up in spots 2 - 5: 

Our Life College Football Poll:
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Doesn't Matters
3. Irrelevant
4. Unimportant
5. Who Cares
6. Your Team

LA and I decided a couple of weeks ago to take Aubrey and Wyatt to a Clemson game and decided on the Wake Forest game which also happened to be homecoming.  We have had her practicing her C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S, Fight Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight.

Every morning when I would wake her up I would ask her "Where are we going on Saturday" and she would reply "Clemson Tigers".  It worked out pretty good that the game was at 3.  We didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn and we could still make it a day trip (long day but able to avoid a hotel stay which would be another adventure all together...you can't try to do to much at one time).  We hit the road around 8am with the car loaded down with two excited Tiger Cubs and lots of snacks and drinks (what's missing for our 4 hour car ride - toys, books..etc - what rookies...but to be honest we didn't even need it).  Aubrey and Wyatt both got a nap on the way up and to my surprise, we didn't even have to make a pit stop along the way.  Glad I didn't bet LA that we would have to stop at least once.  When we got parked, we unloaded the kids and put them in their strollers for a walk down town.  It is a one mile walk up hill on a side one made for one way traffic that has two way traffic and cars waiting to take you out with your first misstep and at the narrowest part a fence waiting to grab a hand, stroller, shirt, anything to start the chain reaction of events that will put the person in the street and hit by a car.  We made it and did some shopping with about 2,000 of my favorite Clemson fans and had lunch on Bowman with the kids and the homecoming "floats".  The kids had a good time and enjoyed the freedom of running around while mommy and daddy took a nap in the grass on Bowman...really how far are they going to go, we have the drinks and food.  (Ok, so we didn't get a nap.)  We got to our seats in time for the greatest 25 seconds of Wyatt and Aubrey's life.  They were excited, clapping and cheering for the Tigers.  They were good for the 1st Half and started to get restless towards the end of the half.  We spent halftime and part of the 3rd quarter going to the bathroom, eating dinner and playing.  We returned for the end of the 3rd quarter and stayed until the end of the game.  LA and I were pleased with their behavior...especially since neither of them had an afternoon nap.  Back at the car, they didn't last too long before it was lights out on the way home.  I would take them again and I hope they get to have many more Clemson trips. 

Ready For The Game - Go Tigers

Long Day - Done

Long Day - Done

Game Recap

The Good
1.  6-0
2. 3rd Title Belt Defense
3. Beating BC (they have been a thorn in our side since they joined the ACC)
4. Catman (FG kicker) - 5 Field Goals and All his extra points (he's not going to get a helmet sticker, yet - he has to do it every week - consistency is the gold standard for a kicker)
5. The Deuce - Sammy Watkins
6. Dwayne Allen TE
7. The Defense (when focused)

The Bad
1. Boston College
2. Tajh Boyd injury (looks like he will play this week at MD)
3. 6-0 - Everybody gets up for an undefeated team, ranked in the top 10 (especially at night, see vs Maryland)
4. Defense went to sleep a couple of possessions and gave BC 14 points
5. Offense not scoring touchdowns and settling for FGs - points on the board are important but TD are worth 4 more points and that will come back to haunt us if the trend continues...hard to complain about scoring but we had a chance to put them away early and never let them see the light of day.

Summary
We meet the first challenge of "beat the teams your supposed to beat".  The road doesn't get easier from here on out.  4 of the last 6 games are on the road.  As I mentioned earlier, every team want a chance to beat an undefeated team and a team ranked in the top 10.  No one knows this better than Ric Flair, every week you get that teams best shot.

Did you see the sign the Tiger had before the game when they were getting ready to run down the hill - "2011 Shock The Nation Tour" and they should add "Coming To A City Near You".  There are 13 teams undefeated coming into Week 7 (lost two last week).  Many writers think this is the year the BCS implodes because of the 13 unbeaten teams most think that 5 or 6 could finish undefeated.  And just to make sure you are clear on where I think this Tigers team is right now and the possibility of going undefeated, I realize that we could end the year 6-6.  We are not in the same league as the top 3 or 4 teams right now (might not be at the end of the year but we are improving but we have to keep winning to be part of that conversation at the end of the year.).


Week 7 Preview
Maryland @ College Park

Another week against a team that has been a thorn in Clemson's side, especially under their former coach Ralph Friedgen.  In 2009, we went up their and laid an egg even with CJ doing everything in his power to make a difference, including running out of his shoe.  This MD has not performed as expect with All ACC quarterback returning, a new coach and new OC.  Knowing MD, Clemson is just the team to get them out of their funk and turn their season around with a win.  I hope Dabo can keep everyone focused and put a W on the board in a night game in a hostile environment.  I asked the only MD fan I know, Jeremy, to help me out with this weeks game and answer a few questions about the game.

• What uniform combination do you expect this weekend when number 8 Clemson visits, College Park?  

• I expect to see Maryland to go with black helmets, red jersey, and red pants....And while I'd like your readers to be impressed by my accuracy, I will confess that Maryland released the uniform information last night (which they do each week on Wednesday night).

• Do you have a favorite combination at this point or a combination you would like to see against Clemson? 

• So far, I've liked the gold jersey w/ black helmet and black pants that they wore against Temple.  Unfortunately, based on the result of that game, I doubt we'll ever see that uniform again.

• What's the atmosphere going to like in Byrd Stadium at kickoff?

• It is a night game, and it is Homecoming, so while the team hasn't been very good so far this year, I'd expect it to be a pretty good atmosphere.  Not as full or loud as Death Valley can get, but for Maryland, it will likely be a little on the liquored-up/rowdy side, especially in the student section.

• Why does Maryland hate Clemson so much?  I would ask about their hatred for Duke but everyone hates Duke.(except Jenn and Ross and anyone who went to school there). 

• I never got the impression that Maryland hated Clemson so much. I'd put Duke, Virginia, and West Virginia way ahead of Clemson in the hatred list.

• Should the "Fridge" have been let go? 

• That's the Million-Dollar question....I'm not sure the program was going to ever get to the elite level with the Fridge, but nobody has ever gotten Maryland football to that level, and he was one of the most successful coaches in the program's history, so it is a shame that it had to end like that.  I think the fanbase got a little 'bored' of being in the 6-9 win range every year, and the athletic department wanted to get some new energy.  Whether Edsell was the right pick for that?  Too early to tell...but he hasn't helped himself out by bad-mouthing the prior coaching staff and with the loss to Temple.

• Where's the football program headed this year?  Is this a rebuilding year, since you have a new coach on board and new OC?

• Sadly, the program expected to be pretty solid this year with a good young quarterback returning from a pretty solid team the year before...but O'Brian has not been as good as he was last year, so it is looking more like a rebuilding year than expected.  Based on early results, I think the team would be happy making a bowl this year, when I think they had a solid chance at challenging for the Division title heading into the season.

• What the best chant that you have heard from the student section - football or basketball? 

• Hmmm.  Not sure if I know of any non-Rated R chants that Maryland has ever had.  

• If I decided to road trip to the game, do you have any good hangouts or restaurant recommendations? 

• I'm a little out of the loop of what the good hangouts and restaurants are near College Park.  In general, I'd recommend venturing to other parts of the Maryland/DC area if you were really wanting to find good places to go out or eat (College Park isn't really anything special).  For a nice meal, if you venture west to Bethesda, MD, or into DC toward the Georgetown area, there are plenty of good choices.  For nightlife, the Adams-Morgan part of DC has always been well known as a good area to explore.

• Crabcakes or Barbeque? 

• Very tough choice.  Really depends on the occasion.  I'm a big fan of both though.  If I had to choose, I'd probably go with Barbeque...Guess I'm officially a southerner now.

• Give me your prediction for the game.

• I'm a homer...Despite there being no evidence that the Terps should win this game, I think they'll find a way of somehow winning an ugly game.  Maryland 24, Clemson 20

Misc Rumblings
*Biggest waste of space in the paper (other than all the sections except sports) - I can't even think what it is called - Page 2, top left corner of Monday's Sports page where some genius predict the score of the Clemson vs USC game if the teams played right now and give some blah, blah, blah reason why.

*Coming to a bar near you - Stephen Garcia - Reminds me of this scene in the movie "Stripes"

*The HBC (Steve Spurrier) has two new job offers and a slew of other coming in  - Deflection Master for anyone looking for a misdirection play to get the media onto another topic.
*This sounds about right - Payton Manning is pushing Sony TVs and Eli Manning is pushing Samsung - Payton (before injury) probably 1st or 2nd quarterback in NFL and Eli is a middle of the pack NFL Quarterback.
*Armstrong Atlantic Pirate Soccer Update - Megan (my niece) has picked up her second yellow card of the year - evidently the team did not use the film or talk to the girl from her 1st yellow card to scout her from earlier in the year...keep laying the law down.

Rewind Two Weeks to Current: A Big Announcement From I'm Just Sayin'; Clemson Football, and A Trip To MUSC

It amazing how much blogging piles up on you when you miss one post and then life happens which leads to missing another post and another post.  I've got a lot of catching up to do.  Let's jump in the time machine and go back two weeks and see what's happened.  You don't want to miss this one.  Some of those that read this while at work, might want to get some work done before starting reading...this is probably going to be a long one.

Before we get started...A brief important message

I am calling on all the "Our Life" readers to make a difference and get Greg back in the Top 5.  He is about $300 behind and is $220 from his goal.  Let's make a difference...Click the link below to give.

My friend, Greg, over at "I'm Just Sayin" is raising money for an important cause - ending Alzheimer's.  Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that I know first hand about.  My maternal grandmother died of Alzheimer's.  If you never have to go through that disease it would be a blessing.  It robbed her of her memory and left her with a blank stare and she ended up spending her last days living existing in a nursing home.  Help Greg with this great cause and click here to donate or go here and click on the link on his blog.  Let's help him reach his goal and be the number 1 fund raiser (he currently is number 5).

Big Announcement From I'm Just Sayin'

There were a lot of rumors and stories circulating about another baby in the Carter household but I could not confirm or deny them until I was certain and if you've been reading this blog since its inception with Baby 1 - Aubrey, you know that I am not real confident in the pregnancy tests and the doctors office seems to take you on your word and hand you a bag of stuff and congratulate you.  It becomes the real deal at 10 weeks when you have your first ultrasound (more on that later).  When their was a possibility of LA being pregnant, I started shopping the story with the news media and after a couple of weeks of negotiations, I signed a deal with I'm Just Sayin' for exclusive rights to the biggest story from Our Life in 2011.  You can read the 1st official announcement of Baby 3 here on our favorite blog I'm Just Sayin'.

I knew we shouldn't have organized/hosted the preparty/gone to the Babypoloza 2011/Hootie and The Blowfish concert...(actually LA found out that morning that she was el prego and I want to go on the record as saying that should explain a lot of the nights events...I'm Just Sayin')

The number 3...
*The Beatles said One was the loneliest number...You know two is company and three is a crowd (or is it Three's Company).
*I am going to give a shout out to Jeremy for predicting this pretty early in 2011 after a post titled 3 (check out the first comment from WinthropEagleFan and it's probably the funniest comment on Our Life to date).
*To be honest were not trying to keep up with the Jones but we are trying to keep up with the Horreses (we couldn't let them travel down this road alone...well we could have but we like Jenn and Greg too much and they made it look so easy)
*It probably was the peer pressure in Sunday School that caused us to cave.
*It really was a financial decision.  I have talked about economies of scale with kids and the cost of having kids continues to decrease the more you have...since after having a boy and girl, we can finally now realize even more savings than when Wyatt was born.
*It pretty funny how quickly the talk went from "when are you having another" to "do you want a boy or a girl".  I can honestly say that "I didn't care with the first two and I don't care this time".  We want a healthy baby - boy or girl.  We have been blessed with one of each and they both are different but I wouldn't trade either one for a different model.
*The second most asked question is "Are you find out what your having?"  LA and I are in negotiations about finding out what we are having.  I am all for finding out on number 3 and LA is still on the keep it a mystery.  The first two I was fine not finding out but our house isn't exactly built for 3 and some room sharing is going to have to take place.  I think it would be nice to know so we can begin preparing for whatever changes are going to have to take place (even if we don't start them until after the baby is born).  We have about 8 weeks to debate this topic.  I will keep you posted.
*After the Horreses took our record "You Do Know Where Babies Come From Don't You" and created a new category "Try Going To A Movie Every Now and Then".  I am pretty sure that is a Providence record - taking two titles at one time.  But I am pretty sure we will smash that record.  The projected record will stand at 3 years, 7 months, 17 days.  For now I hope the Horreses enjoy their dual titles. 
*I agree with Greg and I think a few more movies are in our future and we would like to watch more movies but we never know what to watch. We are looking forward to I'm Just Sayin's movie list countdown (If you want to postpone it for about 14 months that would be fine with us, we will be out of commission until then anyway). 

We have had our 1st ultrasound and I am now a believer that baby 3 is officially on the way.  Greg and I think that the pictures from the first ultrasound are stock photos that all doctors use.  You would think that after two of these I would be better at it but I struggle when the ultrasound tech is pointing out hands, head, feet etc...I usually just say "Oh, yea, I see it" so I don't look so stupid...maybe I have to "unfocus" my eyes to be able to see everything. Here's the pictures...maybe someone can point everything out to me.

Clemson Vs Florida State Recap

This was a big game for Clemson.

1. 1st Title Belt Defense - When you have the belt you get everyone's best shot.  
2. 2nd ranked opponent to visit Death Valley 
3. Game 2 of Murder's Row (1-0) - Auburn, Florida St, Virginia Tech

The Good

1. DEATH VALLEY was ROCKIN
2. The Deuce - Sammy Watkins
3. Dwayne Allen - Quality Tight End
4. Rennie Moore - Sack of QB on last drive to seal victory
5. Defense answering the bell
6. 9/17 on 3rd down
7. 2-0 of 3 game stretch

The Bad

1. Defense - still giving up the big plays; 336 yards to a freshman quarterback
2. Secondary - let's call  Sensabaugh "toast"
3. Virgina Tech on the road in Blacksburg...where teams go to die and where we were slaughtered on our last visit

Game Highlights
( I would recommend muting the sound)


Summary
I road tripped to Clemson with my friend Travis.  I owe him a big thank you for the Beaufort Boil/Frogmore Stew.  It was delicious and was the perfect pre game meal for champions and a title belt defense against FSU.  We pretty much stood up the entire game and cheered/yelled the Tigers to victory.  It was a BIG win for the schizophrenic Tigers of the past who would beat a Goliath opponent and then lose a game to an inferior team.  I am not convinced it's behind us (and won't be until we beat BC, Maryland, Wake Forest and Duke (when we play them).  Death Valley was electric and it was awesome to be there.  There is nothing like Death Valley when the entire stadium is creating a hostile environment for the opponent.  It's how Death Valley is meant to be every week and I give Dabo credit for putting some life back in the Death Valley and for putting a little swagger back in the Tigers football program (were not all the way back but could be on the way).  A tough test is still before us...a trip to Blacksburg, VA.  Hopefully, Dabo has some magic up his sleeve.

I am fast becoming a Chad Morris fan.  On challenging and pushing the offensive players he said (paraphrasing)...I don't care if they don't like me.  I don't need them to like me.  I don't need any friends that are 18 years old.

The defense has to find a way to play and entire 60 minutes and not continue to give up the big plays.

By the way, we defended the Title Belt on our 1st week.  bring on Virginia Tech and as Nature Boy says




Everyone has been asking about last weeks Our Life football pole so here it is:

Our Life College Football Poll
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Who Cares
3. Doesn't Matter
4. Irrelevant
5. Unimportant
6. Your Team

Just Another Ordinary Saturday


LA went out of town for the evening last Friday night with the girls to celebrate with Meg her upcoming wedding with Stuart.  I am fully capable of taking care of the kids and decided that unless the house was burning down, we were involved in a horrific accident or I was going to the emergency room with one of the kids, I wasn't calling LA and if I was going to the emergency room for me, I wasn't calling her either because Aubrey knows the number to 911:
Me:  What's the number you call in case of an emergency?
Aubrey: 9-1-1-1-1
Me: Close, it's 9-1-1
Aubrey: Right, 9-9-1-1-1
Me: Close, it just one 9 and two 1's
Aubrey: Huh, 1-9-2-1-1
Me: No, just 9-1-1
Aubrey: Right, 9-1-1 long pause 1
Me:  God, I hope I never need her to call 9-1-1
Anyway, it was me and kids for the evening and Saturday morning and afternoon.  We ate dinner, went grocery shopping (so mommy wouldn't have to go during the week since daddy was going to be in Nashville for work - Monday evening - Friday afternoon),  made an awesome tent and generally had a great evening.  I even remembered to give Wyatt his medicine (amoxicillin) that I had forgot earlier in the morning.  He was on day 9 and only had two more doses left (Friday night and Saturday morning).  Around 7:30/8:00 the kids were in bed and I was on the sofa relaxing watching college football.  We still have the monitor in Wyatt's room hooked up.  I don't know why, we just do.  Around midnight, I woke up on the sofa and went to bed.  I noticed Wyatt was fussy and I went in his room and made sure he had his pacifier.  He didn't so I gave it to him.  Over the next 4 hours, I was awoken about every other hour by Wyatt fussing.  I checked on him around 2 and give him his pacifier back and at 4 when he woke me up, I decided that his teeth must be hurting him (he currently has four teeth and is getting the rest of them all at one time) so I went downstairs and got some Motrin and give him a dose to make him feel better.  I didn't turn the light on in his room because that would be too bright and wake him up (and honestly 4am is even a little early for me any day, especially on Sat).  The Motrin did the trick and I didn't hear from him again until around 7:30/8 when Aubrey was also waking up.  After getting Aubrey situated, we went to wake up Wyatt.  I picked up Wyatt from the crib and looked and him and he has a rash all over him, checked his temp (normal) and I wondered what was going on.  I immediately think he is having a reaction to the shots he got at his 18 month appointment - Hep A and/or Flu vaccine shot that he got on Thursday.  We go downstairs and I find the info sheets about possible reactions and it doesn't fit what's going on with him and I called the doctor's office answering service (AS)
AS: Plantation Pediatrics Answering Service, How can I help you?
Me:  I need to speak to the on call doctor
AS: Peds Plus opens up at 11:00
Me: If I wanted to take my son to Peds Plus at 11, I wouldn't have called you.  It's 8:00am and need to speak to the on call doctor
AS:  I will have the on call doctor call you
I talked to the on call doctor and his initial diagnosis was something viral.  The reaction took too long for start for it to be the shots from Thursday.  The rash bumps would blanch out when pressed (turn white, then return red...I assume this is a good thing) and told me watch it and if it got worse to call him back or go to Peds Plus.  Nana Von had CJ and Everett and they were going to see The Lion King in 3D and I took Aubrey to theater to meet up with them and asked Nana to look at Wyatt and what she thought.  She said he had measles...I was a little skeptical but agreed with her that he needed to go see a doctor.  I stopped by the house and loaded up with milk, cheerios, and toys to pass the time by for what I assumed would be a quick trip to West Ashley and home in time for the Clemson game at 3:30....Wyatt had another plan.

I started the blow by blow description of the rest of the weekend but have now decided that a condensed bullet point version will be much quick and to the point...her we go

• Peds Plus is a service that St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley offers for after hours and weekends when you need/want to see a pediatrician about your child and not an ER doctor (nothing against an ER doctor but they aren't pediatricians, obviously).  LA and I have taken Aubrey there once and was pleased with the service.  Our doctors at Plantation Pediatrics (I have not been paid to say this - I wouldn't take my kids anywhere else - Dr Traynham and Vasko are top notch and the other doctors in the practice are excellent also) also rotate shifts at Peds Plus and Dr. Kornegay was working.  He took a look at Wyatt and wasn't sure what to think except that he was having some sort of allergic reaction/covered in hives from his thighs to his head and his ears were the color of a fire truck (but he still didn't have a fever) or had something viral and wasn't sure if this was the first step of anaphylactic shock and the next step was some important organ shutting down.  He noticed some wheezing and Wyatt pulling deep for his breaths.  He wanted to get some treatment for Wyatt fast so he transferred us to the ER (we bypassed the completely full ER waiting room) so we could get some meds started to treat the symptoms and monitor his status to make sure it doesn't worsen and he indicated that they would probably transfer Wyatt to MUSC for observation once they felt the reaction was over.   
• In the ER I answered countless questions about what was causing the outbreak...new soap at the house, new detergent, new sheets....blah, blah, blah, the answer is no, no, no - we don't like change and for the last 3 years everything has been the same - soap, diapers, wipes, shampoo, clothes...etc.  I am thinking you are going to have come up with a better source because you are barking up the wrong tree
• Here's why I like Peds Plus - Dr K heard wheezing (mild not severe) and the ER nurse listens to Wyatt and says"I don't hear any wheezing, the doctor must have good ears" (and that's why you specialize in ER care and not peds...just my opinion)
•  Wyatt got Benadryl and a steriod orally
• After about 30 minutes the fun began.  Wyatt was laying on my chest and I was reclined on the bed when he fired a warning shot - a burp.  It was followed by a cough and him throwing up (on my shoulder) and somehow I forgot he golden rule of kids throwing up...It come it twos.  I sat him forward and put him on the bed between my legs evidently, so I could catch the second one in my lap (remember, I forgot this one was coming) which I did to perfection - my lap and shirt.  Of course the 20 people in the room, when we arrived are now no where to be found when you need some help.
• Bad news for Wyatt throwing up was a good idea because now they are coming back with same medicine but this time with needles and remember what I said about this ER vs Peds - It's all business in the ER.  "Dad hold your arm across his pelvis and keep his hands away". 
• Another 30 minutes passes and nothing has changed (except that I am wearing throw-up shorts that smell terrible...terrible I said) still has the hives.  The nurse did give me a paper hospital shirt which was nice a way of saying "you stink".  The ER doctor doesn't like the progress and decides to take the next step a shot of epinephrine.
• LA arrives about 3.5 hours into this ordeal and walks in the door and says "Oh, my goodness, it smells terrible in here."  I had talked to her on the way down to Peds Plus and brought her up to speed on what was happening.  She had called when she got the house and I asked her to bring some additional clothes for me and Wyatt.
• LA also has a rash that she woke up with Saturday morning.  We don't know what caused hers...but Adrian was a little nervous after sleeping in the same bed as LA.  I am calling it a sympathetic rash.
• The hives are not raised as much when LA arrives and the ER doctor has decided to transfer us to the big house - Children's Hospital at MUSC
• As soon as I thought there was a chance of going to MUSC, I texted Danny and Jenn to request the Providence Presidential Suite and the good looking nurses (just kidding about the nurses).  We even did better than the Providence Presidential Suite and got the corner Providence Presidential Suite...almost double the size of most of the rooms on the hall which turned out to be just what we needed.  It had Wyatt's bed/crib and two sofas (they were a little dated and not the most uncomfortable but they got the job done and I didn't have to sleep in a chair or the infamous chair/bed like when Aubrey and Wyatt were born.) 
• If your going to MUSC Children's Hospital, make sure your on floor 7 and the 7A wing.  You are in good hands from that point forward.  Jenn manages a top notch group of nurses and they took exceptionally good care of us (it didn't hurt telling them that I had Jenn number on speed dial and I was calling Jenn if anything got screwed up).
• Wyatt hives/rash over the next 2 days (Sat night and Sun/Mon) appear for 15 to 30 minutes and then disappear.  The nurses are baffled and each new nurse says the same thing "Never seen this before".  
• So it's the weekend on Saturday evening we see a resident and a Dr and they both think it an allergic reaction to something - see list above that I had already answered no to each question.  The course of action is treat the symptoms and  monitor Wyatt's breathing to make sure it doesn't worsen during a reaction.  
• After a breakout at 12:30am on Sunday morning and another one after waking up on Sunday morning, the resident is now thinking it is viral because of the length of time it has lasted and he has been in contact with anything to cause an allergic reaction - good job Shurlock.  Stay the course treat the symptoms and monitor him...no need for blood work or checking his mucus - it's viral and there are over 3000 viral infections and there are only tests for a handful.
• On Sunday morning, Wyatt has a breakout and starts to wheeze mildly and respiratory therapy checks him out and decides he needs a breathing treatment.  LA needs to go home to get us some stuff and we figure this would be a good time.  I was wrong.  I now have kid hopped up on meds - steroids, albuterol and benadryl and he is climbing all over me and generally can't sit still.  I tried getting him to take a nap and he was like a caged animal in that crib.  It reminded me of the scene in Talladega Nights - i'm gonna come at you like a spider money...I'm all jacked up on mountain dew...that was Wyatt a spider all jacked up on meds.  When LA returned about 2.5 hours later, she observed Wyatt for a few minutes and asked if he had been like this the whole time she was gone...Yep.  It lasted for about 4 hours. 

• A big thank you to Danny and Jenn for the toys for Wyatt and the care bag with lots of nice treats that came in handy.  Danny tempted fate and even played and touched Wyatt even when we weren't sure what he had.  That's what I like about Danny, he jumps in feet first.  
• The floor and hospital came to life Monday at 7am.  People were everywhere, elevators were crowded and people seemed busy.  Greg I would recommend getting a job somewhere in the hospital and not offsite like you are now.  I am pretty sure there are a number of people that have just been lost in the system and they get paid to just roam the halls. 
• We saw a different attending Dr on Monday morning with the rest of the team of residents and students and after about 3 minutes of looking at Wyatt and his rash and the remains of the rash from Saturday that had gone from red on Sat, to purple on Sun, to brown on Monday morning - she said we need to get dermatology to look at the rash and she if a biopsy is necessary and what they think; have a nasal swap taken to rule out any of those possibilities; and standard blood work plus any blood work dermatology might want.  It appeared to us that the course of action was to stabilize and treat symptoms as long as he doesn't get worse until Monday when everyone came back to work...I might be wrong but that's what it seemed.
• So dermatology makes a visit and within 5 minutes they diagnosis Wyatt with serum sickness like reaction to amoxicillin.  Evidently, it had built up in his system since this was at least the 3rd time he had taken it and something triggered the reaction.  So no more penicillin type drugs for Wyatt.  
• Before we can leave the hospital, we have to instructed on how to use an epi pen because had a reaction, we now get to carry one with us where ever we go - just as a precaution.  I went and got the meds (steroid, benadryl, and epi pen jr two pack with practice epi pen).  The resident pharm and pharm student walks in the room after what was forever waiting and says "I understand that you had some questions about some meds."  My response was "no, we can read the bottles on the meds and find 5ml on the syringe.  We can't leave until YOU show us how to use the epi pen...mainly when and where".  We tell him we have figured out the epi pen with the directions and the practice pen.  He replies with a deer in the headlights look "I am going to need to make sure this is the right medicine and dose and I will be right back." as he takes the epi pens, the instructions and practice pen.  He walk out and LA and I look at each other and both say "He doesn't have a clue and probably has never seen an epi pen".  After another hour passes (I am about to spider monkey on someone.  We are not splitting an atom.  It's just and epi pen) he reappears with the phar MD, and reads the instructions he had printed off the internet on how to use the pen to us...LA and I were both like "we can read, dummy".  How about when to administer and where?  After finding when and where in the instructions, reading it to us and highlighting it for us we could finally leave the hospital.  We new as much before he walked in the door as when we left.
• We followed up with our Dr on Tuesday and he agreed with the diagnosis and said Wyatt was only the second case of serum sickness like reaction he had ever scene. After about a week, we will follow up with an allergist to do some additional testing to see if we need to be on the lookout for anything else...we are praying it is just penicillin based drugs.
• It was a long couple of days but our care by Jenn's team of nurses was exceptional and fortunately his reaction was never life threatening.  It was more perplexing than anything.  It is good to know the cause because for awhile it didn't look like we were going to find out.  
• I am anxiously awaiting the cost of this little episode.  I am probably going to break open Wyatt's piggy bank to help pay for our mini vacation downtown Charleston in the Providence Presidential Suite.  I am pretty sure we didn't get a free night for staying one night....excuse me Michael, I need to get a small loan.
• Pretty sure girls weekends are officially over.  
• Need to give a shout out to everyone for their prayers, texts and calls.  It was appreciated more than you know.  Thanks to Nanny for spoiling Aubrey for a couple of days.  Pretty sure she missed but not a whole lot  - Aubrey as we are leaving Nanny's house "Why can't I sleep at Nanny's house tonight" (Me - "Because you have your own bed at your house").  Jenn W you rock!  However, I hope I never have to see you at work again or call for the Providence Presidential Suite.  

Clemson Vs Virginia Tech

With everything going on with Wyatt I missed the game.  So my recap will be short.  Impressive victory in Blacksburg.  It wasn't perfect but the defense stepped up and limited the big plays and the longest run was only 18 yards.  The offense does what it does best - score points.

We still have the belt.  2nd Title Defense....Wooooo! "The bottom line is you walk down the isle and you win! Woooo!"


Our Life College Football Poll
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Who Cares
3. Doesn't Matter
4. Irrelevant
5. Unimportant
6. Your Team

We ran the gauntlet and emerged with our head, arms and legs still intact which I wouldn't have thought possible at the beginning of the season.  Now is the challenge for this year's Clemson team - beat the teams you are supposed to beat and show no mercy.

Paraphrase of the week from The Chad:  If you not going to work at practice, I've got a size 12 that will go up your backside.

Misc Thoughts

*NEVER, NEVER let you kids go to any public bathroom without shoes.  I am the least germophobic person I know and I think that is disgusting.  I have watched it happen at Little Gym on multiple occasions when a child needs to go to the bathroom during the session.  I even watched an adult go in one time without shoes.  Think People!!!

*Summerville lost to West Ashley last weekend on a field goal by a girl.  Congrats to her...I was surprised there wasn't a roughing the kicker by Summerville...and more surprised the Coach McKissick didn't 1) die on the field or 2)retire immediately.  This proves my theory that he will die on the sidelines and immediately be buried beneath the S on the 50 yard line and the game will continue.

*Greg from I'm Just Sayin will be sitting on the 50 yard line tonight at Memorial Stadium pulling for the JI Trojans - I have instructed him to cheer internally and to sent a picture of his attire before going.  He is going into the belly of the beast and I don't want him to get hurt.  Have fun tonight and Go Greenwave! Oh and as a special treat it is homecoming.

*You need to read this post from I'm Just Sayin'...it could be the funniest thing I have ever read, about 1/2 way down about the center and quarterback - I decided to copy it into this post.

From I'm Just Sayin' - Greg Horres

Did you know that McKissick never used the Shotgun formation until my good friend Danny made the team as a Center? Legend has it that one year at Sertoma after Danny got into the game, the Green Wave had 5 straight false starts by the young Center. McKissick called timeout and had young Danny come over to the sidelines for a chat. While there is no formal record of what was said that fateful night, I believe it went something like this:

Coach: “Son, what seems to be the problem out there?”

Danny (in a wavering, slightly high voice): “Coach, the QB keeps touching me”.

Coach: “Now Danny, that’s how you play the game. The QB puts his hands under the Center”.

Danny: “I know Coach… but he’s got his top hand turned the wrong way! Can’t he just stand a few yards behind me?”

Coach: “Alright, son… I guess that’s probably a good idea”.

Weekend Recap

What a weekend - 4th Annual Clemson Lake Weekend and Clemson football.  Let's get the recap started.

Before we get started...A brief important message

My friend, Greg, over at "I'm Just Sayin" is raising money for an important cause - ending Alzheimer's.  Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that I know first hand about.  My maternal grandmother died of Alzheimer's.  If you never have to go through that disease it would be a blessing.  It robbed her of her memory and left her with a blank stare and she ended up spending her last days living existing in a nursing home.  Help Greg with this great cause and click here to donate or go here and click on the link on his blog.  Let's help him reach his goal and be the number 1 fund raiser (he currently is number 5).


Lake Weekend

This year we (Danny, Jenn, Michael, Adrian) moved up our normal "fall" trip to the lake to September for two reasons - to use the lake for the first time and because we figured the defending national champions would be coming to Death Valley undefeated and we had a score to settle from last year on the plains (and lets be honest, who gets excited about Boston College or Wake Forest? Ok, I know two people that get excited for Wake because they graduated from there and if I spent that kind of money there I would spend the rest of my life excited about Wake).  I am not going to bore you with the weather forecast because I am sure you saw it (and lived it.)  I will suffice it to say that for the 4th year in a row my toes (or any other part of my body or Danny's or Michael's) have touched the water.  Between the temperature and the wind, doing anything on the lake was out - except maybe surfing since the entire lake was white capping.  Since the lake was not an option, we decided to day trip to Highland, NC.  My man Danny, toughed out the curvy mountain road without getting sick but there were a few quite moments that I wasn't sure.  If we go back, I think we will helicopter Danny to our destination or we are going to have to knock him out BA Baracus, A Team style.  It was chilly, we we got there.  We each did what we do best while in Highlands - girls shop and guys eat and drink. We had a first for everyone after inquiring everyone in town.  We ate lunch in a grocery store - Mountain Fresh Grocery.  Yes, place your order and sit down - not a to-go Piggly Wiggly, Publix meal.  We had very tasty burgers and chicken fingers that honestly were some of the best we had ever had.  After lunch the girls continued to shop while the guys sought out shelter.  We found shelter at The Ugly Dog Pub.  If you're in the area, I would suggest checking them out and get 6 t-shirts (they were out except for XXL, not quite that size put give me a few more years).  We talked to the owner (was in the cabinetry business but closed shop with the down turn in the economy, decided to open a bar and drink her tears away along with everyone else), listened to Auburn fans chant "War Eagle" (evidently Highlands is a good stopping point/day trip for fans traveling to the game and looking for something to do).  Michael and I let them have their fun and remained quit while Danny silently was chanting with them (he wanted SC to have a shot at the belt in two weeks but we now know that title shot will have to wait until possibly the end of the year...more on that later.)  Danny made it down the mountain fine and we tried to tempt fate but got scared.  We stopped at the Issaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel Park but the sign at the gate entrance which was open said it would be locked at 5pm but it was still open at 6pm.  We decided that two of the possible three options were not very exciting - car getting towed or the gate getting locked while we were still inside, so we decided to leave - pretty sure if we were in college we would have stayed and tempted fate (plus, if we were in college, we just would have called mom or dad and told them to send money because the car got towed).  I guess if we are going to actually get in the lake, we are going to have to come in July.

PS - I would suggest waiting a few weeks until renting the house on Walker Pointe drive.  It's going to need some time to air out.

Clemson vs Auburn

Shout Out
I want to give a shout out to my two favorite Auburn fans - Clark and Jenn.  I hope ya'll had a great experience in Death Valley and enjoyed the greatest 25 seconds in college football.  Now that you can scratch a trip to Death Valley off your bucket list.  I would suggest a night game to get the full effect (12 noon kickoffs are tough for everyone).  I would like to thank Clark for the text after the game, they are just classy people.  Since ya'll are evidently our good luck charm, I will pick you up at 8am on Saturday for the Florida State game...are you busy the rest of the season?  Oh and by the way, I heard a lot of "War Eagle" or "War Damn Eagle" so I came up with one for Clemson - "Clemson Damn Tiger" (ha!ha!).

Almost forgot, of all the teams(non rival) that have traveled to Clemson I am going to say the Auburn traveled the best of anyone of them with the exception of SC.  The Auburn fans were everywhere (even in Highlands, NC).  The entire top half of the upper deck (north side)and the scattered everywhere else was filled with orange and blue and pom poms.

TITLE BELT

Clemson is the holder of the title belt!!!!  That's right to be the best you have to beat the best and we beat the best and ended the nations longest winning streak (17 games) and defeated the defending national champion.  In the words of the immortal Ric Flair:

To Be The Man, Woooo, You've Got To Beat The Man, Woooo


To be the best you've now got to come through Clemson.  Our first title defense is this coming weekend against Florida State.  I would have preferred a game against Sisters of the Poor but you can't be picky...bring on all challengers.

Did you see how excited Dabo was about the belt?

Probably a little much for me from your head coach, unless you just won the TITLE BELT!!!

Our Life College Football Poll
1. Clemson (Belt Holder)
2. Who Cares
3. Doesn't Matter
4. Irrelevant
5. Unimportant
6. Your Team

Confused

While their fans traveled very well, I am not sure if they have been to or watched any of Auburn's previous 17 games and especially the first two this year.  I am not sure why down 14 in the 4th quarter they started heading to the exits.  The evidently weren't aware of Clemson penchant for folding late in games like a deck of cards...see Georgia Tech game and Auburn's flair for the dramatic win.  I pretty sure I would have stayed until the final gun.  And plus I don't understand, paying for the ticket, traveling to the game and leaving early.  I paid for the seat for the whole 60 minutes.  I leave when the final horn sounds.

Did You Know
*Gene Chizik is a Clemson Tiger for life.

1. Gene Chizik was graduate assistant at Clemson in 1988 and 1989 under Danny Ford (no wonder he won the national championship last year).  He worked with the linebackers and taught one of Clemson's all time great linebackers - Levon Kirkland.
2. He is a '91 graduate of Clemson - Master's Degree 

*Clemson is now 3-0 in games against the defending National Champions (Georgia Tech, Georgia and Auburn) at Death Valley (1-5 on the road)

*Clemson ended Auburn's 17 game winning streak; previous longest winning streak ended was Georgia's at 15

*It had been 659 days since Auburn last tasted defeat.  Welcome to dinner, it's a little cold and doesn't taste good - trust me we've been eating it for awhile now.

*This was Auburn’s first game at Clemson since 1970.  That year Auburn beat Clemson 44-0 on Clemson’s Homecoming.  After the game first-year head coach Hootie Ingram started his postgame press conference by asking, “Who is on the Homecoming Committee?”

*Clemson ended a 14 game losing streak to Auburn (dated back to 1951)

The Good

*Clemson answered the bell after getting knocked square in the jaw and spotting Auburn a 14 point lead

*Held Auburn to 3 points in the 2nd Half (I give Clemson coaches for being able to make half time adjustments on the defensive side of the ball)

*624 yards of offense

*Starting year 3-0 for the first time since 2007

*32 First Downs

*92 plays

*14-18 on 3rd downs

*Game Balls - Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins

The Bad

*Tackling

*Rush Defense (gave up 237 yards)

*Secondary

*Florida State coming to town
*Virginia Tech on the road

Game Highlights (In Case You Somehow Missed It)


Summary

It was a great win on Saturday and hopefully will be the confidence that we need to win the next two games (ok, I will be honest and take 1 of 2.)  I am not delusional and think that we are going to win the national championship because we beat Auburn on Saturday but it was an important win for the program and just maybe we got our mojo back that they took from us last year.

Aubrey's 3rd Birthday

Aubrey's 3rd Birthday Party
*For the past month, Aubrey wouldn't tell how old she was.  She would be silent or say "I don't know" if you asked her how old she was.  BUT if you asked her how old she would be on her birthday she would get a big smile and say "Three". 
*This year she wanted a pink princess party and she got a pink princess party with a Barbie princess cake where the cake was Barbie's dress AND a jump castle with a water slide and pool.
*The jump castle was AWESOME.  I think I am going to like birthday parties from now on.  We had kids playing on it for four hours straight with only a break for singing "Happy Birthday" and the blessing.
*I am pretty sure LA, Greg and I had as much fun as the kids (at least when Greg actually made it to the pool.  I was having a hard time staying in the pool and Greg was barely hitting the pool.
*I am pretty sure I accidentally took out just about every kid in attendance and pretty sure Waylon and Amy aren't going to let me hold Walker Texas Ranger anymore after our trip down the slide.  I was trying to go slow and ended up on a speed ride down on my back and baptized Walker Texas Ranger in the pool.
*Not sure if we can top that party but at least we know what kids what to do.  Anybody want to buy a slide with us or go in the jump castle business?
*No one got injured, we didn't loose any children and most importantly it was an afternoon filled with laughter, family and friends.
*LA, Aubrey, Wyatt and I appreciated your love and support of our family.  It means more than you ever know to have family and friends gather and celebrate special occasions and our kids are blessed to have each of you as Godly examples.

Pictures

*More Pictures On Facebook

High School Football, College Football, and Anniversary

It was a busy weekend and doesn't slow down with work, Little Gym on Tuesday, Aubrey's birthday and church on Wednesday, packing...etc.  But at least it is another 4 day work week for me - leaving Thursday after work to head out to Tigertown to see if THE TIGERS can exact some revenge from last year's loss down on The Plains).  In that game we (THE TIGERS) evidently gave Auburn our mojo that has made them invincible and we are looking to get our mojo back baby - if any team needs it back it is us (more on all this later)

High School Football

*The Greenwave took one on chin last Friday night against Goose Creek Gators (yep, that Goose Creek...well most you don't go back that far but back in my day it wasn't if you were going to lose to GCHS it was how much we beat them buy.  I remember one Friday night seeing the most points I have ever seen in a game by one team - 77 put up by Summerville...times have changed and now their coach has turned the program around...good for them, it's lonely at the top after all these years...blah, blah, blah - just for you Greg) and I wasn't surprised except I expected it to be 77-0 in favor of Goose Creek this year.

College Football

*Clemson beat DII (Everybody else calls them FCS whatever that means - DII is what I call them still) Wofford.  You ever have (or have a friend) one of those ankle bitter dogs nipping at you that annoy the crap out of you - that's Wofford, you can kick them away but they just won't go away, they keep coming back, always there annoying you.  As my friend Michael told me "pesky terriers".  It wasn't pretty but we are 2-0.  We are still a work in progress (might always be a work in progress).

The Good
*It is becoming clear after two games that we are big play for touchdown or get the punter ready.
*Sammy Watkins is the real deal
*Andre Ellington is scary good.  Just imagine what he good be with a line that could block consistently.

The Bad
*Offensive Line are a bunch of cream puffs.  We are 0-2 on 4th and 1 against inferior opponents Troy and Wofford.  We might never see a 4th and 1 the next 3 weeks to have to worry about going for it - 4th and 7+ sounds about right.
*Offensive Line gave up 4 sacks against Wofford (don't think Wofford is coming back this weekend)
*Can't stop the run consistently...couldn't stop the triple option (wonder if GT will be looking at the game tape and start drooling)
*Coaching - up eight points in the 4th with a chance to kick a field goal (since we were unable to score a touchdown) and put us up two scores (basically put the game away) we decide to call a fake field goal.  Really?!?!  We can't execute a 4th and 1 but we are somehow going to execute a fake field goal...get in the real world Yabo Dabo Do.

Misc Thoughts From The College Football Weekend
*I gave up on Michigan after the first half but all is right in world after a few scary moments - Notre Dame is 0-2 (not sure even touchdown Jesus can help them right now and that's alright by me)
*I would like to exchange the Clemson offense for the Carolina defense
*Garcia was more erratic than a blind person shooting skeet
*No word yet if Richt is packing his bags for the midnight train to out of Georgia
*Note to coaches...skip the ESPN Friday night game - two weeks, two ranked teams defeated
*Auburn was about the width of a piece of paper from screwing up Clemson's shot at "Our Life's" number 1 ranking and an "Our Life" National Championship.  For those of you that don't understand my system.  Here goes....In my book you are Number 1 until someone beats you and then that team takes over the Number 1 ranking. (I don't have all the rules of the "Our Life" Number 1 / National Champion figured out yet but it my poll and I reserve the right to make it work in any way that will benefit a team that I think is deserving.)  I found a site on line that has the same theory as I have on this subject of "To Be The Champ, You've Got To Beat The Champ....Wooooo!!!!"  The even have a title belt, I like the idea.  Clemson is a two time title winner.  These people have a lot more time than I do and have stats...check them out
*They need a stricter rule in football to protect the player receiving a punt that has called for a fair catch and is creamed, blasted, destroyed by a player who ignored him waving his had in the air signalling a fair catch.  After watching a player get his head taken off(the first weekend and I am sure it happened in week 2) and all the referee could call was "interfering with the ability to catch" and walk off 15 yards.  I thought it was a little weak. There has to be a something else done because I am not real sure how the player got up after getting leveled.  I would suggest a thirty yard penalty or ejection and/or one game suspension (or getting to pick a player from your team to knock the block off of the player that hit you...something).  Take your pick.
*Did you see the punter who actually had a negative yard punt and it had nothing to do with a hurricane or tornado.  It was a straight up -4 yard punt (off the side of his foot).


Yard Work
*I am in the process of contracting with the Army Rangers, Navy Seals and other special forces groups for mine training.  I am pretty sure my backyard is the ultimate training ground for mine removal and simulating crossing a mine field.  Our front and backyard are a pine cone graveyard.  Give me 3-4 weeks and I can have it ready for training.  If they can get from the front yard to the back ditch line without stepping on a pine cone or dropping one they have picked up they pass training.  I hope they don't expect too many to pass.

Anniversary
*September 10
*Happy Anniversary to my lovely wife!  We made six years and they said it wouldn't last.
*Read about our first five here - it all still applies and nothing much to add for year 6 (except for a anniversary trip to Savannah last year which was very nice and relaxing)
*We didn't have a baby this year...that feels like a record or something.
*Conversation on Friday (September 9) about our anniversary:
LA: Are we doing anything for our anniversary?
KC: I don't know...What do you want to do?
LA: I don't have anything for you.
KC: I don't have anything for you.
KC and LA: Happy Anniversary...I love you!! (hugs...kisses)
*Friends of ours that don't read this blog told me a funny story - It was their anniversary and she went to get him a card and walked into the store and she runs into her husband buying her a card.  They show each other which card they were going to buy, save the $10 and left the store.  Happy Anniversary!
*We are doing something for our Anniversary - Clemson Lake Weekend 4th Edition with Adrian, Michael, Danny and Jenn
*We did get each other something new Costa sunglasses a few weeks back.  Happy Anniversary. We wanted to fit in with all the other cool people that have them (plus LA's were actually wore out and I lost mine in the ocean this year playing with the kids)


9/11 Anniversary
*We Will Never Forget

Breaking News - Labor Day Weekend - Football Recap

Breaking News

Congratulations to long time reader and friends Jenn, Clark and Jacob.  They have a baby on the way - expected due date is late March 2012.  I hate to tell you but you heard it hear first but on 1.11.11, I made a prediction that the Williams household would be increasing by one.  (Pretty sure I had exclusive rights to this story...not sure how it got leaked before being announced here first.  My lawyers will be in touch.)  We are super happy for them.

PS - Babypoloza 2011 - 1 (You didn't have to attend. Just reading or listening to Hootie on this blog can have the same results. I warned you.)

1st Day of School Photos

I told you I had some 1st day of school photos and I finally downloaded them off the camera.

Labor Day Weekend

This weekend needs another name (maybe just for me) but labor is the last thing I look to do during any holiday weekend (and let's be honest any weekend).

Best Labor Day Weekend Song - Jimmy Buffett's "Come Monday"

(Not sure who the guy singing in the video is...ha!ha!  Even I was a little to young to remember Jimmy Buffett in '73)

We were in a haze for most of the weekend.  Our family has been passing the sinus infection/sore throat around for the last week and a half.  Wyatt is our carrier and gives it to all of us.  Not feeling 100% on a holiday weekend is for the birds.

We were unsure what we were doing on Saturday but wanted to do something with the kids (even though I was fine sitting on the sofa teaching them about College Game Day and the importance and significance of the opening Saturday of college football).  However, since we got our 5:30am wake-up call from Wyatt (how do kids know to sleep in Monday-Friday and wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturday, Sunday and all Holidays - I am putting that on my list of questions that I am to be buried with so I can ask God).  We decided that since we would be awake early, we would get ready and go to the Children's Museum in Columbia.  In the back of my mind, I was thinking that it wouldn't be too crowded with it being a holiday weekend (people would be doing something other than going to the museum and the kickoff of the college football season) and for the most of day it wasn't too crowded.  As we approached Columbia, I had a bright idea that we do something spontaneous and skip the museum and head up  the Clemson game.  LA and I were in but convincing Aubrey that the Clemson game would be more exciting and that she would get to see a "Tiger" and it would be the third most important day (following her birth, and baptism) in her 2.9 years of living was a bit more difficult than I thought.  She was convinced and wanted to go to the museum and play.  I am pretty sure I asked her in as many different ways (Tiger paws on her face and hands - and trust me when she said "I don't want tiger paws" I new this battle was over) as I could think but she was committed to going to the museum and I gave in and decided that a 2 hours car ride would be a long time to deal with an upset child that didn't get to go to the museum (even though I am sure she would have had a blast once she got there).  We had a good time at the museum even if it got off to a rough start for Aubrey when the 1st thing we did was go inside a 3 story boys stomach.  Wyatt and I went through some part of his body and ended up in his heart and then climbed into his head. (I am not exactly about to dry up and blow away but I am also not Fat Albert...they need height and weight recommendations before trying to navigate the tunnels in this boys body and if you claustrophobic I would recommend watching from the stairs).  Aubrey would have nothing to do with the boy, so LA had to take her out.  I am sure you are wondering what else there was to do.  They got to milk a cow, pick peaches, climb on a John Deere tractor, gather up eggs from chickens, drive a bulldozer, drive a punch buggy, play with blocks, fish, play drums, ride a camel, paint, dress up like firemen, drive the fire truck, play on the big out door slide, and in the outdoor river (if it involves getting wet, our kids are first in line).  Oh, almost forgot the $3 per person up charge to be able to go into the butterfly exhibit - in mine and LA's opinion - a waste of $9.  I would expect it to be like butterflies attack with them flying everywhere and them landing on you...not hardly.  My advise is to save the $9 and put it towards buying your own butterfly garden for home.  Your kids will learn more and it will be much better.  To save you from asking me or LA (I will be glad to tell you the same thing in person.),  it is better than the Charleston Children's Museum for the cost but it is in Columbia.  If you looking for a day trip, go to Columbia.  If  your looking to kill a few hours go to Charleston.  AND as Aubrey and Wyatt get older the museum in Columbia will have more that they can do and experience.

More photos of our trip to the museum can be found on Facebook.

Our Monday activities were waking up, playing with the kids, watching videos, lunch, naps for the kids and some tv for mom and dad.  I am going to be honest and tell  you that we couldn't have worked in the yard all day and been as tired as we felt at 7:30pm after we put the kids down.  I didn't realize singing songs and doing nothing was so tiring. I am going to need another day off.

I'm Going To Take You Down

My niece, Meghan plays goalie for Armstrong Atlantic and their season officially started last Friday and it wasn't a great start for her or the team as they lost 0- 2 BUT she did get a yellow card for cloths-lining a girl on the first goal that was scored.  I am working my sources for video...stay tuned.  I told her that was the way to set the tone and for everyone who scouts them using that game tape will be scared they will get the same treatment.  It was a non conference game so it didn't matter in the big picture but it was more important she laid the hammer down on opening day.  The girl she took out after the game said "...the keeper absolutely hammered me.." (PS - they rebounded with a victory on Sunday).  I have to add a brief story about listening to the game online.  I was at work, the game was at 11am on Friday and I pulled up the audio feed and had it playing in the background (it's my story).  First, the audio was late starting, probably missed the first 10 minutes of the match.  The announcer apologizes and begins with the call of the game.  After about 10 minutes, he mentions that wasps are flying around.  A couple of minutes pass and you hear some commotion and he is trying to call the game, while what sound like swatting at wasps.  You then hear him calling the game and saying "the wasps are biting me".  I was thinking get the heck out of there and go to the Home Depot/Lowes and get some wasp spray and catch us up when the 2nd half starts.  I have to give it to him for being a trooper (I hope he didn't get bit too bad and I am glad he wasn't allergic but I am going to be honest and tell you that I was laughing the whole time.). 

Football Weekend Recap

*Clemson is still a work in progress (maybe they will always be a work in progress...hoping I am wrong)

     The Good

1. Freshman looked pretty good - Watkins (at one point, he was 1 reception and 1 TD..not a bad start) and Bellamy (Spilleresque Speed - you heard it here first)
2. Ellington was back to his old form (when given the ball and when the o line decided to block and most of the time when they didn't...wanted him to get 100 but was short)
3. Big plays for touchdowns (exciting but a long drive would be nice, also...unless we are moving to the "we are going to outscore you theory" then big play/quick score away)
4. Field goal kicker (except he missed an extra point which is unacceptable in my book if you play for a D1 school...I am sure I have discussed this somewhere on this blog.) 

     The Bad

1. 0-9 on third downs conversions at one point improved in the 2nd Half; Third and long is not a strong suit for the Tigers
2. Not scoring from the 1/2 yard line on 4th down...really (and you called the same play as on third down)
3. Run Defense/Tackling 
4. Big play for touchdown or 3 and out
5. Field goals instead of touchdowns 

*Friday nights shoot out - Baylor - TCU (might be the best game all year...ok, the best game of week one - I will keep you updated throughout the year, if I see a better game)

*The college football is off to a wonderful start - Notre Dame lost (it took forever for it to be official but it finally happened

*What was my number 1 team Auburn thinking almost losing to Utah State.  It almost cost them their unbeaten streak (currently the longest) and "Our Life" number one ranking...need you to hold on one more week - you can do it

*Steve Spurier is a coaching genius - started Conner let him drive them into a 14 point hole to have Garcia come back and save the day; Garcia is now superman with a cape...watch out UGA.

*I was unsure about the 35 uniforms that Maryland unveiled a couple of weeks ago but actually liked the secret 36th uniform that wasn't unveiled to the players until they returned to the locker room after warm ups, just before kickoff.

*Best thing about college football on Monday night - only 3 days until more college football

*I am agreeing with the majority...UGA's pro combat uniforms were a bit much (especially for a tradition rich southern, SEC school)...hoped they boxed all of them up along with the bad mojo

*Glad LSU won so later in the year Les's great crunch time coaching skills can be on display

*Did you see the Arkansas punt return, fumble for a touchdown that last about 30 seconds?

Peeking Ahead

*Clemson (1-0) vs Wofford (1-0) - Can the Tigers improve their run defense against the run heavy attack of Wofford?  Improve on 3 down conversions?  I am expecting more big plays and a no contest victory from the Tigers.

*SC (1-0) @ UGA (0-1) - Can SC pick up a victory between the hedges?  I think so and the UGA family starts grumbling and some start packing the coaches train for a departure at the end of the season...it won't be the first coach to lose to SC and lose their job and won't be the last (Danny and Cory made me put that in the blog).

Racing Recap

*After two days of rain in Atlanta - Congrats to Jeff Gordon on the victory and becoming number in all time victories in the NASCAR series behind Petty and Pearson

*Did you see this crash in the INDY car race?  What happens when you don't have any breaks going 170 and actually use the car in front of you to slow you down...probably wouldn't have survived a crash with the wall at 170 but used Helio's car to slow him down. I think I am going to get my breaks checked.

One more Indy car video...parking lot in turn 3

Are You Ready For Some Football? I sure am!!!

The Off Season:

A lot has happened since the end of last football season:

*Clemson has a new Offensive Coordinator who believes in fast break football...if it works great, if not I hope the defense is in shape.

*Ohio State scandal...Mr. Rogers Jim Tressel was fired (the vest was a nice cover), T Pryor left school and then most recently was disassociated from the school so he could be drafted by the Oakland Raiders...pretty good fit (bad guy(in the sense that he received improper benefits) in college, drafted by the bad guys of the NFL)

*UNC fired their coach and AD in one week.  Which means Butch Davis was two for two at ACC (not in the ACC when he coached) schools leaving them in a wake of NCAA sanctions

*The bomb was dropped on the Miami program...the damage was minor for this season but the NCAA is not finished.  (In terms we can understand on the SC coast.  You can ride out a tropical storm but a Cat 4 or 5 Hurricane is nothing to mess with - evacuate, destruction is coming.)

*Look at all the schools recently or currently under investigation by the NCAA and you have to realize that there is a problem (and don't be a fan that says "my school doesn't do it"...Ok, sure they don't, wake up.  I am convinced that you could go to any school, investigate and they would find something wrong.)  I don't have a solution but at least I know there is a problem.  I do know that where money is involved (in this case billions), everyone doesn't have each other best interests in mind...Everyone is looking to protect what "is their share of the pie".

*If your looking for dinner or a suit and you are in Tuscaloosa call the guy the all the Alabama players use - T Town Menswear

*Craig James, Dan Patrick and Jesse Palmer are still calling college football games...arghhhh

*Texas A&M is leaving the Big 12 (which really is the Big 10 but will be the Big 9 after they leave...confused yet)

This Season

*Who's your Number 1?  I am going with Sweet Home "Alabama".  (Not who I want to win but who I think is going to win but we have 13 weeks + Championship week to settle it out and I won't be surprised or upset if I am wrong.)

*Looking forward to Saturday mornings with GAMEDAY.

*Hoping Clemson is better than I think and we shock a few people.

*Looking forward to Clemson/Lake Weekend - September 16th - 18th AND Clemson beating the defending National Champion Auburn Tigers (remember in my book your number 1 until someone beats you...welcome to Death Valley)

*A friend of mine recently had a baby girl (8 to 12 weeks old) and HE going to the Clemson game this weekend and is bringing his daughter with him WITHOUT the wife.  Those reading this blog, you can rest easy because you don't know them.  BUT I feel I need to point out a few items so other wives don't get this crazy idea.

1. Does this really sound like a good idea, sending your husband to a college football game with a baby.
2. There are pretty good odds that one of them don't make it home
3. A guy at a football game barely remembers to feed himself and uses the bathroom beside a tree or behind a car door or worse yet in a port a john.  Do you think he is going to remember to feed and change a baby.  If he does remember, he will look at the changing options and decided it can wait.
4. Odds are pretty good the baby will get sat down somewhere while he is talking to an old lost friend and next thing you know they start walking off without the baby to a new tailgate spot to see some more friends.  Not to worry, he will remember at about halftime and then decided it's no big deal (if it's a close game or blowout) and stay until the game is over.

If he somehow convinces you this will be fine and he will take good care of the baby, YOU need to have a back up plan (you can tell him or not).

1. He needs secret supervision.  Contact those that will be tailgating with him and enlist the help of the females in attendance to take care of the baby.  He will be none the wiser and appreciate the outpouring of support.  When he returns home, he will boast, "I told you I could do it." (and mention nothing of who actually took care of the baby while at the game) which is fine because they both made it home - a win/win.

If you follow that step then it's a win/win for you, your husband and your baby.

*Good Luck to your team...If your a CLEMSON TIGER fan, here's a couple more videos to get your blood pumping...




Other News:

Did you see the college football game last week that wasn't cancelled for the storm - summary of the coaches quote "You don't cancel a football game because it's going to rain".  Game Summary two punts went for negative yards and a snap was blown off course to the punter and was recovered for a touchdown.  How about canceling it for the wind?

I found this online the other day - 100 Hardest Hits In Sports. I haven't watched them all but the numbers 100 - 87 are worth a watch.

I am working on an investigative piece that might be bigger than the Yahoo Sports - Miami Bomb...it is in the early stages and I am verifying sources and getting the story straight.  Keep checking back for updates.