We came...We saw...We Conquered...

Reuben and I spent an incredibly fun weekend in Columbus, Ohio to support my godson Scotty and the Trojans as they defeated Ohio State! We got to Columbus on Friday afternoon checked in and immediately found Roosters, the "best sports bar" in town, within walking distance of our hotel. Jeff, Scotty's Dad, joined us later that night after some plane problems and we had a late dinner at Vacqueros- A Mexican restaurant? in Columbus. The margaritas were great! Eric and Grant had arrived in town and were staying at a different hotel. They invited us bar hopping with them but they march to a different clock and we decided to rest up for game day....Next day Reuben and I struck out in search of ESPN's Gameday which was filming by the stadium. We found it without any problem but it was awash in a SEA OF RED! Ohio State fans outnumbered USC about 20 to 1!

After an hour we were discouraged becuz we couldn't hear what they were saying so we traveled back to our new favorite Sports bar to watch the second hour of the show. Eric, Grant and their buddies joined us. I loved it. They are always so much fun and they have the greatest friends.

The entourage...Todd, Gmo, Sean, Jake, Matt, David, Kevin and Eric.

The boys took no time at all to become great friends with the local girls who worked at Roosters.

We hung out there and then headed on to a fabulous tailgate party that Shae Palmer put on for all of us Out of Staters. Props to Shea who rented an RV and traveled the 2 hours from Cincinatti to help us party before the big game only to return to Cincinatti and get ready to host all the boys there the following day for Carson's League Opener. What a trooper she is, so thoughtful and hospitible, a real gem.

From the tailgate we were on to the Horseshoe to see the game. And in case you haven't heard, we won in the last seconds of the game. It was incredible. What a wild time. Reuben and I were thrilled that we got to see Scotty #47 dash down the field on the kickoffs and after the game as well. We had a chance to visit with him before he climbed on the team bus to head back to L.A. It kills me to see how much he has grown up during his college years. Football has really been a salvation for him to keep him focused in school, in shape, and with a great group of guys to associate with. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished.
We then walked the 2 miles back to our hotel and headed to Roosters one last time for a late night snack and to see the highlights of all the games. We hit the sheets at around 2 AM! And early to bed Reuben stayed awake for the whole thing!

After breakfast with Jeff late Sunday morning, we headed out for the airport. Lucky us, we were upgraded to 1st class coming and going on this trip! Once on the plane headed for Tampa, Reuben eyed a gentleman who was eyeing him and it turned out that Reuben had coached him 44 years ago in High School Track and Field! They talked all the way home....what a fun finish to an incredible weekend.

Spring and Summer Fun 2009

Reuben and I have had an amazing Summer here in Florida after a busy hectic Spring. In April we had another wonderful Easter Egg Hunt with the Florida Grandkids (Logan, Lexi, Christian, Micah, and Skylar). This was our 3rd successful hunt at the Lake Padgett House.

Then June brought us a beautiful new grand baby girl named Anniston "Annie" Marie. She was born June 1st with a head of hair that resembled the nutmeg colored hair of her daddy, Eric, at birth. But while his turned into blond, Annie's has maintained that reddish hue. It is so perfect that Eric and Melissa had picked the name "Annie" for her ahead of time! Reuben and I made a trip out to Cali for a shower or two and then I circled back to get my hands on her for the first time when she was 10 days old. The summer months found us home in Florida spending as many weekends as we could arrange at our condo in Sand Key Beach. The highlights of our time at the beach was taking a journey on the Pirate Ship with our Grandsons Christian (10) and Trever (6) and then .....

...enjoying our annual 4th of July at the Grande with a day at the beach and fireworks extraordinaire...This year Deb and Craig Altman were away but Bob and Sally were there to keep up the tradition and Sally's daughter Amanda along with her new fiance Ross put some spunk and youth in our day at the beach. And then..........

...celebrating our twin granddaughters, Micah and Skylar's, 5th birthday with their brother Christian.

Now we are gearing up for a busy Fall Season with lots of Football and Travel! We start with a trip to Columbus Ohio to watch my godson, Scotty Stephens #47, play in the USC vs. Ohio State Game on Sept. 12. Then I head back to California on Sept. 22 to see my mom and Eleanor (The Original Nona), babysit my precious Annie, and watch Scotty play again for USC against Washington State in the Coliseum. But being the football fanatics we are...we won't be done yet...In October we climb back on the plane to travel to Chicago. From there we will go to the USC vs. Notre Dame Game on OCT. 17. With only a few days at home I will then head back to California making my usual rounds for a couple of days before Reuben flies out to meet me. Together we will go to the USC vs. Oregon State Game Saturday, Oct.24, and finish the weekend with Anniston's Baptism on Sunday. Are you tired yet!!! I am tired just thinking about all the packing and unpacking, but it will be fun. Scotty only has 2 more seasons (this one and next) and the first year babies grow and change sooooo fast I have to get my "Annie Fix!"

And Let's not forget Reuben's Team, The Miami Hurricanes! The Canes are coming to Tampa to play The University of South Florida at Raymond James on Saturday Nov. 28, following Thanksgiving. A dear friend, (Thank you Gerry and Mary!) loaded Reuben up with tickets so we will host about 30 people for that game. We also hope to travel to Miami for at least one of The Hurricanes homegames, but we aren't sure which one yet.
As for The Tampa Bay Buc's, of course we hope to be back in Raymond James for a couple of their games this year too. We will really miss our tailgating buddies as we chase after football all over the U.S.A. Reuben gave up his Buc's tickets after 34 years so we could travel around and see all of our favorite teams play some games. I'm not sure if we will be able to squeeze in a Bengals game, but maybe next year...So here we go!!! We will keep you posted on how we are doing with this wild and crazy Fall Season!