Go Saints!
BL and TL

From Tara:

I should be devoting this day's blog to mine and Brandon's anniversary.  After all, two years ago today we made the biggest commitment of our lives, and that is no small thing.  Yet I feel compelled to write about something else.

HOLY CRAP THE SAINTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!



I like to call Brandon a Saints "superfan" because after all, only a superfan will brave freezing cold snowstorms to watch the Saints game. Will shovel snow off his truck to watch a game.   

Only a superfan will wear his Saints jersey in public even though an hour away from us lies Soldier Field, home to the Chicago Bears. 

So after a season of sitting in the same area at Buffalo Wild Wings, parking in the same spot, and wearing just the right outfits (the list goes on and on, but those are the main ones), holy crap the Saints are going to the Superbowl.  Many of you have called and said "I bet Brandon was going nuts."  Yep.  So here is a pictoral journey of Sunday's game.  I highly reccomend enlarging all the pictures to get a really good look at them.  It's worth it.

It all started with a football cake.
Yellow cake with chocolate and vanilla icing.  Yummy.  And of course we had other football type food (and beer) but my cake was the centerpiece. 
Brandon spent most of the 4th quarter on his feet, cursing at the refs and cheering.  I was chatting with several family and friends on the laptop, and decided to grab the camera because I couldn't handle just sitting anymore. 

Brandon spent most of the last two minutes of the game like this:   And just a second later, Favre threw the interception that kept us alive.  I thought I was going to have to give my husband CPR.  I don't have a picture of that because he picked me up in a huge hug.  Lifted me off the ground.  Screaming his head off. 

But now.....the dreaded OVERTIME.  When the Saints won the coin toss, Brandon began pacing.  And praying. 
Bruno, ever the faithful Saints puppy (he is, after all, black and gold and white) was right there with him, giving what comfort he could from his cone.




Fourth and inches.  In overtime.  Pacing.  If you enlarge the picture, you can see the time left on the clock.  12:56


12:44 on the clock 
Still 4th and inches

  Notice the halo effect of the lamp.  It was like being in church in our living room with all the prayers going up.  Mom, Katie, and Philip, that's you all on the laptop.

And the Saints made the down!!  After that, Bruno ran out of the room.  He's only two.  He just couldn't take the pressure of the game. 


And now the moment of truth.  Will Hartley make the kick??  Brandon and I were sitting in the Superdome when he missed the game winning kick against Tampa Bay.  Can he do it??  Please...please...please...and then Hartley made his kick.  A 40 yard attempt.  Our hearts are pounding, our palms are sweating, our brains have simply stopped computing...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE....OH GOD...DID HE???




YES YES YES YES YES! ! ! ! !
AND THE SAINTS WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!

OH MY GOD THE SAINTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!


And all because I made a football cake.
You're welcome, baby.
Happy Anniversary

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The Good and the Bad
BL and TL
From: Tara

First for the good.  Last night, Brandon and I went to Amy and Aaron's house for a Rock Band birthday party (HAPPY BIRHTDAY AARON!) and had a great time.  Thanks to Amy I have two new recipies that I can't wait to try out on friends and family back home.  You guys will love them!  As usual, I had to pull Brandon away around 2:00 in the morning.  For those you who may not know (and I can't imagine such a person exists), Brandon is completely addicted to Rock Band.  Here is an old photo of him, playing a song without having to look at the screen. 


I don't know if it's a sign of getting old, but sometimes I like visiting, hanging out, playing Rock Band, playing board games more than I like going to a club or a bar.  Not that it's not still fun every now and then, but.....well, I guess I'm just getting old.  But anyway, we had a great time last night!  So much fun.

So...more good: Bruno has found a new spot to hang out, and I think he is so adorable when he sits on his little ledge that I wanted to share a picture of it.


And now, unfortunately, the bad.  I would like to publically apologize to my best friend Eric for getting upset over a stupid conversation.  And in my defense, I did not hang up.  The phone battery died.  But I shouldn't have gotten upset, and I apologize.  I want everyone to know that you were right and I was wrong when you said I wasn't listening.  I'm very, very sorry.

More bad:  My poor puppy has a been licking a certain...ah...couple of private spots...that only men have...ever since I got him groomed.  So I had to take him to the vet, because it was so red and irratied that it looked almost like it was bleeding.  And the vet said that probably it was a little irritated after he was groomed, and his CONSTANT licking just made it worse.  The vet's words when he saw the area was "Yikes. Ouch. Poor thing."  So my poor baby is now in a cone of shame until Monday to keep him from licking.  He is completely miserable and is looking his most pathetic in hopes we will take this off him.



I have to put an ointment...ummm...there.  I'm not sure which comedian said it, but he said if aliens looked down and saw us picking up dog poop, dogs leading us on leashes, and well, the general things we do for our dogs, the alien would assume the dog was the higher being.  If the aliens saw me taking care of Bruno today, they would most definitely draw that conclusion.  But maybe then they will leave me alone, if they make that assumption.  I had such a vivid nightmare about aliens the other night that I woke up with my heart pounding, convinced that I had just been "visited."  They were horribly scary and very menacing.  Brandon was completely unsympathetic as I described what they looked like, but he has had a great deal of fun picking on me ever since.

And finally....GEAUX SAINTS!  I have made a football cake in honor of the occasion, and if it turns out okay, I will post pictures of it later in the week.  Brandon has been very careful about all his pre-game procedures so as not to jinx anything.  Cross your fingers that they win the championship, and will be on to Miami!     Geaux Saints go!!    
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An Oldie but a Goodie
BL and TL
From:  Tara

It's just too cold to be creative today, so I thought that instead of a new blog, I'd ressurect an old one that I had originally posted on MySpace.  It was around this time last year, and so it still holds true.  So while the words were written a year ago, please believe me when I say that every bit of it still true.  The only difference is that today it is hovering around 18 degrees, so it's not quite as cold as in this blog, but still freakin' freezing.

Um...It's cold here.


Yep. That's it. Before, I've always been able to say "It's a different kind of cold" or "It's really not that bad if you bundle up." Nope. Now, it's just cold here. It's involuntarily cursing cold. You can't help but spew expletives the moment you step outside. My favorites include Son of a ***** it's cold, and F*** it's cold! My absolute favorite of Brandon's is when he looks at me and says "It's cold out here!" A million sarcastic remarks fly into my brain, but they freeze before they can come out of my mouth.

Another intresting fact: When snow flies into your mouth, it is NOT a pleasant sensation. So you breathe through your nose, and can feel the flakes going up there too. Yet another thing that Hollywood has mislead the public about. It is not at ALL romantic to catch snow in your mouth. Trust me.

Right now the temperture is -9. Last night it was 0. And my thought patterns were, if the temperture is 0, wouldn't that mean there is no temperture? And if there is no temperture, then there is no weather, and it's actually the end of the world? All I know is that when Bruno goes outside to pee, he disappears. Last night, he followed the wall of the apartment and managed to return and this morning he is refusing to go outside. I don't speak dog, but I'm pretty sure when I put his leash on first thing this morning, he told me "No thanks, I'll hold it." I had swept him a little path to the bathroom spot and thought it very ungrateful when he just stared at me from inside the doorway.

And it's still snowing here. We are so close to Lake Michigan that we get what's called Lake Effect Snow. For those of you who might not know what that is, it's when it snows and snows and snows and snows and never ever stops.

It's truly unbelievable in so many ways. It's unbelievable that I'm here looking at this. Watching the snow fall last night was very similar to watching a fire burn in a fireplace. You can't help but stare at it, it's simple beauty mesmorizes you. When the sun peeks out, it's so bright you have to wear sunglasses when you drive or walk around. Even now, still all I can do is stare. Snow makes everything beautiful. Ugly cars, worn out houses, dead trees. All are beautiful when covered with snow. So maybe snow is nature's plastic surgeon?

And now to address the inevitable comments before I close. Yes, we chose to move up here. Yes we wanted to come here. Yes we miss the weather back home. Yes we are crazy for being here. And yes, it is in fact cold enough for us here.

PS. I saw a guy jogging yesterday afternoon when I was walking Bruno. Talk about dedication. I don't think I'll ever want to be so fit that I will jog when you can hold up one hand and say the temperture is this many.
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