When One Season Ends, Another Begins

This was the weekend of sports!  Softball and hockey and football oh my!  Before I get into my competition watching, and coaching, filled weekend, I'll be sharing all things love related for this month's The Blended Blog Asks.  Linking up with Biana for some weekending & Andrea for some TBB Asks.

1. Kisses or Hugs? Unless of course we're talking about the candy in which case kisses because I hate white chocolate.

2. Candy or Flowers? It probably should be flowers lol but I pretty much always have a candy drawer at work.  Plus, food.

3. Baking or Cooking? I like to do both but I almost never bake & I cook all the time.

4. Do you remember your first kiss?  Yes.  It was Thanksgiving 2004.  I went over to a boy's house that I liked after all of the family stuff from that day, we watched Walking Tall (the one with The Rock) & out of nowhere he kissed me.  It wasn't good.

5. Favorite color of Roses? I'm not a huge roses fan.  But the basic red ones are pretty.

6. Conversation Hearts, yes or no? I loved reading them as a kid but they are not good.

7. Do you leave love notes? Yes.  I love all of that sappy, romantic, just because stuff.

8. Do you decorate for Valentine’s Day? No, but I also don't really decorate my apartment for anything.  And by that I mean I don't.  Maybe when I have a house or a bigger place.  I have moved so often that I don't really have all of the decor stuff because moving around sucks.  Plus, I don't really have storage to keep it.

9. Red or Pink? I'm not really a pink girl, I say as my nails are hot pink & I have pink flowers on my counter.

10. Milk, White or Dark Chocolate? Anything but white chocolate.

11.  Do you believe in love at first sight? No

12. Do you give Humorous or Serious Valentine Cards? I've done both.

13. Favorite Chick Flick or Romantic Movie? I don't really know the last time I watched a chick flick.  I do love them though.  My gut reaction is Sweet Home Alabama.

14. Stay In or Go Out? Both.  I almost just said stay in because during the week good luck getting me out.  And there are weekends that I don't want to do anything.  But I do also really love getting to try new places & go do things with my friends.  If we're specifically talking for Valentine's Day... Stay In

And now on with the weekend!

Friday

Nash had his first Rover walk on Friday.  If you remember, he had his first Wag walk on Monday so stay tuned for a comparison of the two.  I don't know why I didn't do this for him during volleyball season.  If I can't be around as much now that softball has started I'm glad that I can still make sure that he's getting out.  Plus, I get pictures of my dog during the day...

We had our first scrimmage Friday evening.  Thankfully it was just a scrimmage which means a)it was only one 5'o'clock game instead of a game at 5 & 7 and then b)the outcome didn't count.  All things considered (we were missing 4 varsity girls, most of the JV girls have never played softball at all before 2 weeks ago, & it was the first game) we really didn't do all that bad.  We lost but it definitely could have been worse!

Saturday

My friend Katherine came into town around noon and we hit up Magnolia Motor Lounge for lunch.  The last time I had been there had been months & months ago with her before she moved back out to the panhandle.  Even though I got the same one, my burger was better last time.  It was still good just not the quality I remember from last time.  The fries & ranch were on point though.  After the burgers we went down to the White Elephant Saloon in the Stockyards for a couple of drinks before heading back to my place to get ready for the Wild/Stars game.

We took the train downtown since I don't live that far from a station & then we wouldn't have to deal with parking or the traffic.  It was retro night so hot dogs & sodas were 1993 prices.  1993 is the year we (Minnesota) officially lost the North Stars to Dallas.  So in honor of the Stars being in Dallas for 25 years they threw it back.  They even had 90s commercials on the screen which was kind of the best.  The first period was SO boring.  Nothing happened.  Not a goal, not a penalty, not a fight.  Nothing.  The second period is where it all fell apart.  Minnesota wound up losing 6-1.  We had originally planned to go out afterwards but we were both so exhausted that we took the train back to my place & went to bed.

Sunday

That morning we got some coffee & bagels before she hit the road & then Nash & I didn't do a whole lot most of the day.  I went to the store to get a couple more things that I needed for the party that night but mostly we watched Netflix.  I finished New Girl (well what's on Netflix) & started Longmire.  I also took an hour long nap which was heaven.

Around 3:30ish I left for Helen & Caleb's.  We had Super Bowl bingo, drinks, & tons of food.  Steph had talked about bacon wrapped tater tot bombs on her blog & they looked so good that I had to make them.  I also made pickle dip & what was supposed to be Chuy's creamy jalapeno ranch but it was not.  I had to doctor it up to even get it to taste good & even then it still didn't taste like Chuy's.

I know in all reality it was a good game but I so badly did not want either team to win that I did not care at all.  Since someone had to win I was really hoping it would be the Patriots just because I wanted the Eagles to lose that badly.  However, that was clearly not the case.  I won $50 on the game though by playing squares so I guess whatever.  I also thought both the National Anthem & halftime show were mediocre.  #SorryNotSorry

I hope that y'all had a fabulous weekend & have a great Monday!

Tell Me What's Your Fantasy

So this year I have two fantasy football teams.  Not because I necessarily wanted two, but because when I set the time for my first draft for this past Thursday I didn't have any plans.  But then a friend asked me to go do dance lessons & I knew my complete freedom would be ending on Monday I wasn't about to say no.  As luck would have it, my draft was at the exact time I needed to leave to meet her.  So all of my players got auto drafted for me.  So I also set up a draft for Sunday morning because I knew I wasn't going to be making any plans.  With preseason just 2 weeks away & regular season just 43 days away, here are my two line-ups.  Both teams are on NFL.com & both are just a part of the free fantasy leagues.  When I'm not being auto-drafted I like to follow Sarah's tips and strategy for nailing your fantasy draft.

The Magic Skoll Bus (that time I got auto-drafted)

QB - Russel Wilson (SEA)

RB - Mark Ingram (NO), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL), LeGarrette Blount (PHI), Paul Perkins (NYG), James White (NE)

WR - T.Y. Hilton (IND), Brandin Cooks (NE), Allen Robinson (JAX), Jeremy Maclin (BAL), Cameron Meredith (CHI)

TE - Travis Kelce (KC), Hunter Henry (LAC)

K - Ban Bailey (DAL)

DEF - New England Patriots

Yes, you ARE seeing correctly.  I was drafted ONE QB, Kicker, & Defense... and FIVE RB & WR.  Now for the most part I left it alone.  I figured "what the hell?!  Let's see what happens!"  I did however drop a couple players just so I could have a backup for my QB, Kicker, & Defense.  I wound up dropping 2 Running Backs (Perkins & White) and 1 WR (Maclin).  

I picked up Sam Bradford (QB/MIN), Kai Forbath (K/MIN), & Los Angeles Rams (DEF).  I almost picked up Bortles instead of Bradford because he is projected to better than Bradford but I wanted to see what Bradford might do this year.  I also almost picked up Blair Walsh, who is now with Seattle, over Forbath because I felt like Walsh was done a little dirty last season with the Vikings and he's not too far behind Forbath on projected points, but again I wanted to see what Forbath might do this season.  Defense I'm not going to lie I just picked the top remaining projected team & went with it.

Purple Reign
QB - Aaron Rodgers (GB), Alex Smith (KC)

RB - Melvin Gordon (LAC), Leonard Fournette (JAX), Mark Ingram (NO)

WR - Amari Cooper (OAK), Tyreek Hill (KC), Eric Decker (TEN), Davante Adams (GB)

TE - Zach Ertz (PHI), Cameron Brate (TB)

K - Blair Walsh (SEA), Chris Boswell (PIT)

DEF - LA Rams, Carolina Panthers

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose

Super Bowl time has almost arrived!  In just 10 days America's top two teams will be going head to head at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans in none other than Houston, Texas.  Even though I now live in Fort Worth, I was living in Houston at the time when it was announced that Super Bowl 51 would be in held in Houston so I have been excited about this one for awhile now.  Despite my team, the Minnesota Vikings, not even making the playoffs & the Packers being eliminated this past Sunday I'm still pumped for game day.

So whether you're hoping for a Falcons win or a Patriots win (Go Patriots!) I wanted to share a few ideas with you on how to celebrate the Super Bowl Texas style.

The Food

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dip

If you ever invite me over & ask me to bring something, this is what I'm going to bring.  You have been warned.  I am OBSESSED with this dip.  It has been affectionately renamed crack dip by essentially every member of my family.  It gets special requests to make appearances at get togethers.  Sometimes I even make it just to get me through the week.

Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies Jalapeno Poppers

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms

Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

Bacon Jalapeno Mac N Cheese

The Drinks

Gridiron Punch

Bacon Bloody Mary

While I'm pretty sure most people classify the bloody mary as a morning drink or a hangover cure, I don't discriminate & could drink them all day & night long.

Summer Beer

...which is actually just the classy name for Strip & Go Naked (at least that's what my friends & I call it...anybody else? No?  Just us?  Ok moving on then...

Jolly Rancher

For the Falcons fans

Blue Lagoon

For the Patriots fans

Outfit Inspiration

No matter what you choose to wear, whether it be a jersey, a dress, or a cute & fun shirt, the most important part of your outfit when celebrating the Super Bowl in Texas is what goes on your feet.  In Texas it is all about the boots baby!

The Blair Walsh Project (Fantasy Football)

I'm not going to pretend that I know a shit ton about football.  Why?  Because I don't.  Do I like football?  Yes.  Do I watch it?  Every week.  I was a football manager in high school but even then baseball was my first love.  Then, I went off to a college where the only D1 team we had was our hockey team & hockey became my sport of choice.  Had I gone to the University of Minnesota like I had once wanted I think that might have been a different story, or at least my love of football, especially college, might have been stronger.  That's a different story for another day though.

I'm a Vikings fan through & through, except for that one little phase when I was a kid where I was a Packers fan, simply because I am from Minnesota & that's who I grew up watching.  Unlike 99.9% of Vikings fans though, perhaps because of my brief stint as a Packers fan...Starter jacket & all, I don't hate the Packers.  Of course when they go head to head I will always cheer on the Vikes.  I also don't really care to see the Packers make it to/win a Superbowl in the near future simply because I'm friends with A LOT of Packers fans & they're kind of annoying ha.

Anywaaay...despite my lack of extensive knowledge of all things (& by things I mean most players other than those belonging to the Vikings/Packers/Texans) I've played fantasy football for probably 4 years running now.  I just do it online, & definitely for free.  Every year I tell myself I'm going to do more research but then the draft rolls around & I've been so busy with everything else in life that I just haven't.  This year was no exception.  Maybe year 5 will be the year I actually do that??

So who's on my team & how are they looking?  Well as I was typing this up I got the "Who Won Your Draft" email from NFL.com.  I've definitely done worse I'll tell you that much.  

The headline: "After some dicey selections, The Blair Walsh Project looks to make a statement this season"

I got a grade of a C+, my projected record is 5-9, & I'm projected to finish 8th.  At least the team I play first is projected to finish last...

Not only do I have the best pair of quarterbacks in my league, I also have the best defense.

So, for those of you that actually know shit about football, feel free to critique my roster.  At the end of this, if you're still reading & still care to read on beyond the roster, I'll give you my Week 1 starting roster.

Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) & Philip Rivers (San Diego)

Running Backs

Carlos Hyde (San Francisco), Chris Ivory (Jacksonville), Arian Foster (Miami), & Isaiah Crowell (Cleveland)

Wide Receivers

Julio Jones (Atlanta), Jordy Nelson (Green Bay), & Torrey Smith (San Francisco)

Tight Ends

Jordan Reed (Washington) & Jason Witten (Dallas)

Kickers

Stephen Gostkowski (New England) & Matt Prater (Detroit)

Defense

Week 1

Quarterback: Rodgers

Running backs: Hyde, Crowell, Ivory

Wide Receivers: Nelson & Jones

Tight End: Reed

Kicker: Prater

Defense: Packers

15 days until regular season starts!

4th Birthday Party/Vikings vs. Lions Game

This past Saturday I attended the 4th birthday of the world's cutest boy.  I can't believe how quickly the past 4 years have gone.  Happy birthday Adan!

Adan & his mom (my cousin) made than pinata.

Opening presents

His mom also made that cake.  His bday was pirate themed.

And just because I love her too, Adan's baby sister.

The next day I went with a friend from high school & one of her friends from college to the Vikings/Lions game.  Even though we ended up losing by 3 in OT, and the Vikings still can't seem to manage to play the second half of a game, it was fun nonetheless.

Vikings Cheerleaders

Half-Time Show: Mini Cheerleaders

Half-Time: Swearing In

Vikes/Lions

Halloween-Roommate Dinner-Vikings v Cardinals

So I haven't updated really in quite some time. I've been meaning to share all of these pictures & events for awhile now but I keep forgetting and then not having time. So instead of three posts you all get one mega-post. Let's start off with a little bit of Halloween...

Here are just 4 pictures. I didn't really take a whole lot of pictures to begin with on Halloween but then the ones I did take... I didn't really like. I saw lots of interesting characters while out but here are some that I actually captured. To say that my Halloween was a blast would be an exaggeration. To say I had fun might even be pushing it. It wasn't the worst night I've ever had but it's up there. We spent the entire night following a roommate's boyfriend & his friends around. That' simply not who I am. I would rather do whatever & if we happen to run into each other or want to move along at the same time fine. But she was so concerned with leaving when they wanted to leave & going where they wanted to go that I pretty much just sat there all night getting annoyed.

1. Me & 2 of my roomies (the other was at work). We were a cowgirl, a go-go girl, & pin-up girl.
2. Some random butterfly girl.
3. Alan from The Hangover. We saw lots of them but this guy was by far the best.
4. Brett Favre & Jen Sterger. There was also a few Bretts out there.

Two of my roommates decided that we needed to have a roommate dinner one night to cut the tension in the apartment. Whatever. It did not help at all first of all. Second of all, one of the girls whose idea it was (& the one where all the tension lies with) did not help at all. Me & the other roommate who did not request the dinner did a large majority of the cooking & cleaning. Also, once dinner did roll around we all sat there in silence. Holy awkward batman. Needless to say tension is still high & this will not be happening again anytime soon if ever. Dinner was delicious though. We had lime brown rice & chicken enchiladas. For dessert we had chocolate dream bars. Mmm.

1. Limes for the rice.
2. Enchiladas in the oven.
3. Dinner.
4. The best dessert ever. Sooo many calories.

On Nov. 7th, I went to my very first Vikings game. I had a blast. I honestly could take or leave football. I don't hate it but I'm not obsessed by any means. I went with my mom & some ladies from her work. I also got to see one of my best friends who I haven't seen since the end of September. (Which is actually pretty damn good for us because I can't tell you the last time I saw her before that.) We played the Cardinals & actually won. I really didn't think they would pull it off. We were down by 14 with 7 min left in the game. We were able to take it into overtime & win by a field goal. Before the game we tailgated in the parking lot & did a little afterwards while we waited for all the traffic to disperse. The lot that we were tailgaiting happened to be where the cheerleaders park so we got to meet about a dozen of them.

1. Mall of America field. Which will always be the Metrodome to me.
2. The tickets
3. Some of the food & drinks
4. Minneapolis one of my favorite cities.

1. The 34th Infantry Division Red Bull Band (The MN National Guard is the Red Bulls. Branden, who was not at the game, is a part of the 34th Infantry Division)
2. Of course they would put them right by the cheerleaders haha.

Just some pics during the game.

1. No idea who that guy was supposed to be. A Vikings super hero?
2. This guy was constantly trying to get people on their feet & excited.
3. That man actually tattooed horns to his head. That's dedication & stupidity.
4. Fire Chilly signs were everywhere. There was even a chant.

1. Me & my friend from hs
2. Us & some cheerleaders
3. Us & a cheerleader
4. My mama & me.

SCSU v Winona & Budget Cuts

(Ignore that this video is sideways I took it with my phone)

This past Saturday, the 18th, was SCSU's home opener. Now I'm not going to lie & say that I'm a huge football fan. I'm not. I honestly could take it or leave it. This is my senior year & I've only ever been to one other game at SCSU. Maybe 2. Everyone claims that we have a terrible football team. Now granted I've only been to 2 games that I can recall, but we've won both. We won on Saturday 31-26 against Winona State. We're 2-1 this season so far, which is better than I can say for the Vikings. The homecoming game that I went to last year, while I don't remember the exact score, or even who we played, I can tell you we won by quite a large margin.

The reason for the video up top? Well they clearly had fireworks after the game, which was cool don't get me wrong, but completely unnecessary. My school is the second largest in the state second only to The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus. However, it is quickly asking to become one of the bottom colleges in the state. Due to "budget issues", I use that term lightly & will explain further later, last spring 26 academic programs alone were cut, not to mention some of the staff that goes along with those programs. This fall, there are talks of cutting even more staff & programs because they simply aren't in the budget. They are also talking about cutting the football team along with many other sports programs. How ironic that they want to cut football yet spend the money on fireworks for after the game huh?

Now why I use this term lightly. The way I see it maybe we do have a slight budget issue, what college doesn't, however I blame whoever is planning our budget. We don't have enough money to upkeep what is now around 30 programs, staff, or athletic teams (There goes half your students by the way SCSU, good thinking) however we have the budget for...

• A $30 million renovation on our perfectly good hockey center.
• A proposed re-design to our perfectly good student center that would cost well over $10 million. (That not a single current student will be present to see because we will all have graduated by the time it's completed. This was put to a student vote, after announcing all the program cuts that had to be made. It failed so they are going to try again.)
• Random things that have been added around campus to "enhance" our appearance"
• Fireworks at a football game
• Etc.

Perhaps I'm just ignorant but perhaps SCSU should figure their shit out & how to keep academic & athletic programs so that they can keep their students around before they try to improve the outward appearance that won't even matter when no one is attending because they can't get an athletic scholarship or attend for their major of choice...