Vaccination Debate.

I am so tired of the vaccination debate blowing up my social media feed.

Parents are getting heated and opinionated, and let’s face it…kids are getting sick unnecessarily. Those are the facts that matter, people.

Kids are getting sick with illnesses that shouldn’t be around. That HAVEN’T been around in decades. Why? Because a generation decided it was a bad idea to vaccinate? What changed? Honestly…can someone tell me, because I don’t know.

If one person can tell me honestly with facts and data WHAT CHANGED…I will eat crow, which everyone knows I hate.

My primary concern behind this entire debate will be always be the impact on our kids. Shame on the parents who are throwing their children into the mix of this for publicity. 

It is not my place to say what parents should or shouldn’t do. If you’re going to vaccinate - great, and if you’re not going to vaccinate - great. But either way, be respectful human beings to the other parties opinion and don’t use your kids as a case study to fuel your opinion. They just need you to be a parent, not a lobbyist. 

Most of you know my advice on these types of debacles. Be informed. Educate yourself. But I have an extra step for this one…Be understanding.

Understand that immune-compromised children cannot be around unvaccinated children because it could be detrimental to their health. So if you choose not to vaccinate, think about the repercussions of sending your kid to public school. On the same note, if you are a parent with a child who cannot be around unvaccinated kids, you should do the same.

Understand that not everything you read on the internet is true. Do vaccines cause Autism? I don’t know. Some say yes, some say no. But here’s an article that might shed some light on what Autism Speaks thinks.

Understand that as humans, we all share this planet and regardless of opinions and differences, we need to be respectful to our fellow humans and their offspring. 

I don’t expect to change anyones mind on the vaccination debate. This is one that is going to define our generation…and is already starting to. My opinion and what I do for my kids is irrelevant for this post. But I can say, I have friends who vaccinate and friends who don’t. They’re still my friends. And they’re good parents.

Now. Please stop blowing up my social media. I love you all, but I’m ready to see fun posts again. Not heated debates. I’ve only got a year until election time rolls around - let me enjoy it. 

Dear Mom.

Those of you who know me, will know that I don't air my emotional baggage all over social media. But today, on the anniversary of my mom passing away...I'm going to. She loved when I wrote, no matter what the content was. Writing has always been, and will always be, my passion and she saw that in me and encouraged me to do it. I let it fall through the cracks a lot and life gets in the way...but today I'm writing for mom - to mom.

Mama,
Today is the day where I'm brutally reminded that my world is completely turned upside down and you're not here anymore.

I've been trying to write you a letter for two years, thanking you for all of the things you did for me and reminding you of how much I loved and still love you. But you know all of that...I know you do, I can feel it. I know you're still here with me because the magic of Birthday Week is still around even though I don't get a phone call at 5:25 in the morning from you. I know that you're here with the boys when they're hurt or scared because I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach that tells me I need to go be with them. That's you. You taught me how to be a good mom - I was made in your image.

Boy, was I made in your image. We butted heads a lot when I was younger. I kick myself for it now. You drove me crazy! And I know I drove you crazy too! But that's what we did. If I had only known that my time was limited with you...maybe I would have been more patient with things that I thought were trivial and time consuming? Who knows.

I know you know all of these things mom, because you were my best friend. My other half. My person. Even when we fought, I loved you. More than anyone or anything ever could. I always had this unwavering love for you. I needed you. I still need you.

Yes, I'm always sad that you're gone - but I've learned that sadness is selfish, at least in this case. You were sick and hurting, and I don't want that for you ever. Even if it meant one more day here with me. I know you're in a better place with Rose and Mater - I've finally accepted that.

But what I truly feel when this time comes around is guilt...and I haven't told anyone that. I'm sure you've figured it out by now. I feel guilty, Mom. Because you were always there for me. When I was sick or scared...you were there. That's what moms do. But when you were sick and scared two years ago...I wasn't there. When it was time for you to go, I wasn't there with you. I should have been. As your daughter, I should have been the one there with you to hold your hand, and tell you that it was ok if you wanted to let go now - that Pat and Chris and I would be ok because we're strong. Because we were made in your image. I wasn't. I had this gut feeling earlier in the day - I even texted Pat and told him that I thought something wasn't right. Every ounce of my body and every sign from the universe was telling me to stay, but my head made me leave....and then you were just...gone.

I remember coming to your house the next morning and holding your hand...and apologizing. God, I hope you heard that. Because I meant it...I still mean it. I am so sorry, Mom. You needed me more than anything and I was not there for you, and I am so so very sorry. I want you to know that. That I love you and I feel terrible for not being there with you, every day of my life. I am sorry for all the times we yelled and fought. I'm sorry for all the times I was ever difficult. I'm sorry that I couldn't give back everything to you that you gave to me.

My guilt will live with me forever...I know this because some mornings I wake up - this morning in particular - and it's the first feeling that courses through my body. But like all things, guilt is a phase. Most mornings I'm fine, and time heals all wounds...or so I've heard.

You should know though, that we are all fine mom, you don't have to worry about us. I figured out how to tell when hot dogs and lunch meat go bad without having to call Pat or Aunt Terrie...Sometimes I still have to call them and ask, just to make sure. You did such a good job raising us, even when we made mistakes or had bumps in the road you knew exactly how to help us through it. And look at us, we are all semi-functioning, well-adjusted adults.

So thank you mom - for teaching me how to sew, how to iron, how to cook. Thank you for teaching me that sometimes life throws you curve balls, but worrying about it isn't going to make it any better. Thank you for loving me at my best, and at my worst. Thank you for giving me all of the knowledge and power you knew I would need to succeed in my life.

But I think that the most important thing I could thank you for is this...Thank you for teaching me that love is always, no matter what, unconditional.

You will always be my best friend and my person. I love you, Mama. Unconditionally. Forever and always.
Love,
Your Baby Girl

Burn Baby Burn.

I always keep miniature tea bags in the freezer....they are super handy for healing elements - bloody lip, surgical wounds, burns etc....I highly encourage all parents to do this. They've come in handy for me on more than one occasion!

I also always keep honey on hand. Mostly because it's delicious, and like tea bags it has very medicinal qualities. Local honey also helps with allergies and all kinds of stuff.

So today when Fisher burnt his thumb and aloe vera gel, burn spray and other chemical remedies failed to bring him relief, I created the ultimate home burn relief.

So for all the moms with tiny humans I thought I would share!

Homemade Burn Remedy
1 dampened tea bag - mine are caffeinated black tea but any natural tea will work
Honey
Gauze

Apply a generous dollop of honey to the damp tea bag and apply directly to the burn. You can wrap light gauze around it to hold it in place.

I wrapped a chilled wash cloth around the whole thing instead so it wouldn't get too sticky and it would provide a little extra relief.

You can change it out every 4 hours or so.

The best part is that both tea bags and honey are natural burn relief agents on their own, so of you have one or the other it should still provide relief.

*Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional I just share what I have found that worked for my family. Don't take my two cents as anything more than that. Use common sense.

Also, I am not knocking chemical based medical remedies - in fact I use them! Especially after working out and my muscles are in need of some serious Bengay action.

However, I am finding that as we lead a more natural lifestyle there are home remedies out there that are overlooked and underestimated that actually work BETTER.

Follow me on Twitter @JackNFishersMom

Ashley "Breaks Sinks" Bacon

I break things. I would compare it to people looking into Medusa’s eyes…I look at things and they break. I also have this effect on plant-life…I think about growing it, and it choses suicide rather than the life of starvation I would inevitably give it.

Regardless, it is just in my DNA to break things. Luckily my husband is handy and he is typically there to fix whatever it is I have touched and/or thought about touching. 

So when he went to the store to buy me a lovely warm blanket that I had asked for because I have been feeling under the weather, I thought I would be awesome and do the dishes. 

Wrong.

I am not really sure why he was so surprised to walk into the kitchen and see that I had broken the sink by putting an entire pot of leftover cabbage down the garbage disposal. So contrary to what this particular blog post might imply, I am very smart and quite handy…however, my thought process was simple.

Soupy leftover cabbage + Trash = Smelly drippy trash

Soupy leftover cabbage + garbage disposal = Chopped up liquid cabbage that flows down the drain and doesn’t stink up my house.

Simple. However – my hubs did not agree with this thought process and after several swear words, throwing of kitchen items out of the way of the draining cabbage-water and half a gallon of Drain-O the sink appears to be fixed.

Although, when I asked him if I could drain my pasta for dinner he politely told me no, and I had to drain it in the bathtub. No biggie. 

The best part of this particular genetic-flaw that I possess are the nick-names that come along with it…I’ve earned quite a few, some that stick around for a while and some that pop and fizzle. Tonight’s nickname will definitely go down in the history books. 

As I was apologizing for causing the sink a slow and painful death-by-cabbage, Hubs just smiled and said, “It’s ok…It’s just what you do. It’s your middle name… ‘Ashley-Breaks Sinks-Bacon’.” Then he said that this incident caused me to lose my married name. Eh, it happens.

So basically I asked if that could be my mafia name, smiled and all was forgiven…and my sink gets to live another day.

Xbox Hate Crime

Dear Husband,
It is because I love you I say this, so please understand...

I am awake an hour and a half early because the loud obnoxious sounds of GTA5 scaring the life out of me at 4:39 in the morning...and you curiously laughing to find out if someone shoots a line of gas while you pour it out if it will light on fire like in real life. It does?! That's fabulous and I am so glad you cleared that up! Your happiness is everything to me, love your smile.

I also understand that we work different schedules and you are up while I am asleep. But just so you know...when I don't get my sleep I cannot be expected to be a functional member of society.

So if you come home and the xbox is just magically *poof* in the washing machine and I am sleeping soundly, you will know that I did it for our marriage, your sanity, and so I can sleep and dream of Daryl Dixon fighting off zombies while singing me Disney show tunes in a edgy new-rock way.

Just saying.

I love you and hope you sleep well today while no one is home.

Hide the xbox.

Love always,
A very sleepy wife

Reflecting & Resolutions

Reflecting & Resolutions…

Tis that time again when I vow I will blog like I am supposed to, when New Year’s Resolutions are being made, and when we all realize that we probably shouldn’t have had that second slice of pie at Christmas dinner…It happens.

Well what a year you were 2012…you brought happiness and sorrow, life and death, and lots of Ben and Jerry’s. I survived and made it through in one piece although there were times where I literally thought I was going to crumble. Hell, I am always up for a challenge so bring on 2013, I say!

As for my New Year’s Resolutions…I thoroughly suck at making them, but I do have a few that have spawned from my life lessons of this past year.

1.      I will be a better mother. I will say yes more to my children and no more to the things around me. I will be a champion for their dreams and needs and I will make sure that I am available to them whenever they need me.

2.      I will be one hot Mama! I plan on getting on the healthier track and being an example for my children…Plus I’d like to get down a couple of dress sizes ;)

3.      I will be the wife I should be. I will make sure every day my husband knows how much he means to me.

Those are the bigger resolutions, of course there are the smaller ones like not eating as much junk food, looking both ways before crossing the street…you know…those kind.

Now I guess it is time for reflecting on my 2012…

My mother passed away. It just feels so unreal still and it’s very hard. I don’t care what anyone says to me, it has not gotten easier, I think it just becomes this strange ‘normal’ that I can’t describe. I miss her so much every day, and there have been several of those days when I needed to pick up the phone and call her and ask if the hot dogs in my fridge are still good, or if I should worry when one of the kids is running a 101.0 fever. Then of course I realize I can’t, and it’s a very bittersweet moment, because ultimately…I know the answers to those questions, because she taught me. She showed me how to be a good wife and mother and housekeeper, although that last one is still really hard for me to do with a full time job, three kids, a husband and a dog…but I’m getting there. She knew I would always need her, and so she knew she was teaching me the things I would need to know and remember. And while it didn’t seem like it when she was here, I was learning and remembering them, although not being able to physically hear her reassurance, I know she is here with me each and every day doing just that.

Ok. –insert ugly cry, deep breath, and recuperation here-

Happy time! We had Miles Parker! The newest addition to the Price Brigade! He is 6 months old now, good gravy, and he is a hoot. He’s cutting teeth and rolling over, and sitting up and just absorbing his world around him. It’s amazing. On the kid note, Fisher turned two, Jack turned seven, Badger turned one, and Sean and I turned Old. J We realized this when we went to the movies and to dinner when we had an all-night babysitter and then decided at like 9:00 to go pick up our kids and come home.

But hey, what can I say. We were meant to be parents, clearly.

Those are just a few of the things that happened in my 2012. There was SO much more that will come up as true hilarity and sadness and randomness in future blogs…which! Oh yeah, I forgot, my 4^th New Year’s Resolution…I will actively blog, for my mom. She LOVED reading my writing and I promised her that I would keep it up. So. I. Will.

Remember everyone – if you aren’t following me already on Twitter, YOU SHOULD BE @JackNFisherMom.

In the words of PhillyD “Love yo faces!”

Extra! Extra! Blog All About It!

So…once again, in true Ashley fashion – I have failed to keep up with blogging on a consistent basis. *Sigh* I know, I know. BUT…in my defense, since the last blog I posted before "Chicken Sandwich." A LOT of stuff has happened, I mean a lot a lot. And not just, “Oh I started doing this, and Fisher did this,” but BIG things. So where do I start…

Let’s see…we moved back to Bentonville, I left my job at Lindsey and started a new chapter with Sam’s Club, we found out I was pregnant, moved into the house I grew up in, Sean legally adopted Jack, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, my grandfather remarried and moved away, and we just recently added baby Miles to the crowd two weeks and 5 days ago!

Oh and we got a dog. Badger.

-Insert overly dramatic inhale here-

A lot to take in right? I didn’t really realize HOW much had happened in the past year until I put pen to paper.

Don’t fret – each of these monumental life events will get their own blog explaining everything into further detail…but for now I have three little boys that require my attention :)

Remember if you aren’t already following me on Twitter – do so now! @JackNFishersMom

Again With the Blogging!

Why am I so horribly bad at being consistent with things?? Writing is my passion, my niche, my awesomely good talent…so WHYY can I not make myself write every day? Then I realize, even on days when I have ABSOLUTELY nothing going on…I am still ridiculously busy! So I took the liberty of typing up my schedule just to see how much free time I actually have in a day…and let me tell you, it isn’t much, at least not at a time! Haha!

5:40 a.m. – Up and at ‘em! Or at least I’d like to be…this is the point in my day when I debate hitting my ‘snooze’ button again, and then groggily drag my sleepy hind end to the shower…
6:00 a.m. – Out of the shower and more awake than I was 20 minutes ago…but still groggy and in need of something…
6:15 a.m. – Breakfast & drying my hair, applying make-up, getting pretty for the day. Yes, I eat my cereal WHILE I get ready, otherwise I would either starve, or go to work with wet hair :)
6:40 a.m. – Getting the boys awake and dressed, making sure the diaper bag is packed, lunches are good to go and getting the Hubster ready for his day.
7:05 a.m. – Out the door!! The 4 of us shuffle down stairs, and MOST mornings we are rushing out the door and into the car all while eating pop tarts and still applying eye liner because I ACTUALLY chose to hit the snooze button. :)
7:15 a.m. – Dropping off the Hubster at work
7:30 a.m. – Dropping off Jack at school for the day
7:35 a.m. – Calling Katrina, my BESTEST friend EVER, so that we can have our morning chat about whatever is currently going on in our lives and get a good laugh in before we start our work day.
7:50 a.m. – Dropping off the baby at daycare for a few hours
8:00 a.m. – I FINALLY arrive at work, open up the office and begin my day as a Marketing Coordinator & Executive Assistant…what else would I rather be doing?! Nothing! Love my job.
12:00 p.m. – My work day is over and it is time for me to work my schedule BACKWARDS now.
12:10 p.m. – Now I am PICKING up the baby from daycare, I usually chat with the girls for a little bit before I leave to go home and attempt to get things accomplished.
12:30 p.m.  – We FINALLY get home, and that is if we don’t have any errands to run between the time I leave to go pick up Jack Attack from school at 3:00…

1:00 p.m. – Fisher has a snack, watches 1 episode of any Nick Jr. show that I just happen to click on first and then proceed to lay down for naps until about 1:45. This is also when I turn on the music, and start cleaning, doing dishes, sorting things…whatever needs to be done at that time.
1:45 p.m. – Time to wake up the baby and get bottled water, graham crackers and my walking shoes on so I can go park in the carpool line to get Jack and walk with the girls!
2:00 p.m. – I’m parked in the carpool like, usually 5 cars back, because someone spilled our secret about getting there early, so now people get there at 1:45 to steal our spaces. Dang it. And I go walk with the girls until about 2:30, then come back and sit down and chat until it’s time for the kids to come down to the cars
3:00 p.m. – YAY! Jack is here!!! Time to feed them snacks and go get daddy! 4:00 p.m. – Daddy is off work! Yay! Then we get to head home!
4:15 p.m. – We’re HOME! Yay! But now it’s time to do home work, or whatever needs to be done, have some play time with the boys and start dinner. Ok, so I can’t really complain about the cooking dinner portion of my day, because I have been blessed with a truly awesome cook for a husband, and he LOVES cooking…so he usually takes over that part of the evening so I can really catch up on emails, and having some play time with the boys…
6:00 p.m. – DINNER TIME!!! Yummy! Obviously this is when we eat dinner as a family :)
7:00 p.m. – After Dinner is done and the dishes are put away and the boys bellies are full it is time for them to get bath time and another round of play time until 8:00 when it’s bed time!!!
8:00 p.m. – Bed Time for Babies! We put the boys in bed, give hugs & kisses and tell good night stories.
8:15 p.m. – After bedtime stories, kisses & hugs and plopping down on the couch, we usually catch up on a show we enjoy watching together, or a movie. I have to admit though we are a really technological family, who probably also all have ADD…so even though the movie is TURNED ON, we are usually sitting on the couch cuddling up playing on our phones or laptops…the world we live in.
10:30 p.m. – Movie or show is OVER and now it’s time to hit the hay…

See!? Seriously…I only found a few hours of ACTUAL free time total…and that is getting an hour or two here and there squeezed in, not all at once.

And that doesn’t include if we have things to do like going to the grocery store or to the my In-Law’s for dinner, or anything like that….so I am a busy woman…I’m sure I just feel like I’m busy and running around like crazy because I’m the one doing it, and to someone who is a CEO of a major company and has 4 kids to shuffle around to activities and a is a single parent, I have the good life. So DO NOT think that I am complaining at all! I am grateful to have the life and family that I do…TRUST ME! J

But this blog IS dedicated to the craziness that is going to be occurring this week in my life! Ooh-hoo! Just wait for that updated post!

I LOVE my crazy hectic life and I wouldn’t have it any other way! J

The Cable-Less Prices!

I noticed yesterday on one of my friends Facebook status’ that he was getting rid of cable television…and I have to admit I was pretty excited when I saw that. Let’s face it, in all honesty, American’s as a whole, watch WAY too much boob-tube. I and my family are included in that generalization, so don’t think I’m being all judgmental or anything.

Now, let me backtrack.

A few months ago, Sean and I sat down and looked at our monthly bills as a whole and realized that we were spending money frivolously on things that we actually didn’t need. SO we decided to make some cutbacks in the departments we thought were taking the most away from our budget. Cable, just happened to be one of them. At any given time our cable bill would range from $115.00 - $140.00 per month…and at that time we had digital cable, with the DVR and high speed internet. So when we moved to Fayetteville we decided to ditch the DVR and just have basic cable, and internet, which lowered our bill to about $98.00 - $100.00 per month. Not as bad, but still not good. And it almost ALWAYS fluctuated. Which was crap.

So I still wasn’t happy with that and decided to give my cable company a piece of my mind, since I was already giving them a pretty hefty piece of my paychecks. When I spoke with Javier, (Nope, not even making that up…that was his name…) HE informed me that they could charge surcharges, fees, sales tax, and any other little charges they felt were necessary on cable services all they wanted…but they couldn’t charge ANYTHING on internet services. So of course it infuriated me that the bulk of my bill was coming from my $54.00 cable services and all of the fees and frills they were tacking on to it! Jerks. At that point I realized that if I completely cancelled our cable services and kept only our high speed internet, which we needed for work, school, XBOX Live, etc…my cable bill would only be $38.99 a month…every month, without ANY fluctuation…and I really really liked the sound of that. :)

But at the same time, I was NOT keen on giving up my Grey’s Anatomy and my Glee cold turkey in the middle of seasons…So I started researching online and started finding and bookmarking websites that had unlimited streaming or uploading of television shows, football games, movies, and so on and so forth.

And let me switch gears on you really fast…I know, I'm blowing your mind.

We have an XBOX 360, and we also pay for XBOX live on a yearly basis, which is like $100.00 give or take a little, but that actually breaks down to be pretty cheap considering how much we actually use it…so in my opinion, if you do NOT have an XBOX 360 or a Wii or something along those lines that allows for web-streaming of videos, buy one. GO GO NOW. It is the best investment you will ever make, I swear.

Now if you already have an XBOX 360 – none of this is going to be news to you. But basically on XBOX Live you have tons of video options from Zune, to Netflix to Hulu Plus, to College Game Day streaming, just to name a few. Not to mention the wonderful internet that is available on your computers, and surprisingly enough, all of these are pretty cheap and user friendly.

And we’re back.

So once I did my research and found out that I could access a lot of the television shows we were currently watching either through our XBOX Live account, or the internet I was pretty sold on cancelling the cable services.

AAAANNNNDDDD here is how it broke down for us…

We decided that the boys still needed their cartoons now and again and we would like to be able to watch the occasional movie, so Netflix unlimited streaming for $10.00 a month was a go. We also decided that I would be a very unhappy mama if I could no longer watch Glee…so Hulu Plus for $7.99 a month was also a go along with our regular internet services for $38.99 per month.

So what is that you say? I LITERALLY cut my cable bill down by almost 75%?! You’re darn skippy I did!!!

Here is how my bill looks now:

Internet: $38.99
Netflix: $10.74
Hulu Plus: $7.99

GRAND TOTAL: $57.72 per month VERSUS the $140.00 it was previously!

WOO HOOO!!!!!

And just in case you are REALLY that curious, here is how we have it all hooked up. We have our computer tower hooked up through our ginormous television screen that way if there is a show on Hulu Plus that is “Web Only” we don’t have to all crowd around my little laptop to watch a show online, we can simply switch our Input channel to PC and watch away! Then we also have the XBOX 360 hooked up through the television which makes viewing on that piece of technology more simple, and fortunately for us, our television is less than 3 years old so it actually has the digital antennae built right into it so we can pick up a few local channels, providing us with the local news, sports and shows. I think we actually get FOX, CBS, ABC, and NBC…which is all ya need right?! J There are some local access channels sprinkled in through those as well, which surprisingly enough have some decent shows on them!

There are lots of wires, but that’s what power surgers and zip ties are for right? I know, I'm a genius.

All in all, I thought it was going to be a really difficult transition going from having the ability to turn on the food network and watch Rachel Ray, and then switch to FX to watch Sons of Anarchy…but it really hasn’t been that bad at all. Given, you generally have to wait about 24 hours before videos are uploaded to the websites and things like that…but for the most part we are pretty busy and just take one night after dinner to catch up on everything and use our other nights to do fun stuff with the kiddos!

So in  my opinion investing in the XBOX 360, along with the yearly subscription to XBOX Live is a beneficial investment that you will get your money’s worth in the long run…AND, if you're going to buy your XBOX 360, go to GameStop...for an extra $20 bucks or so you can get a protection plan where if your two year old spills juice down into it and it starts having an electronic seizure, you can literally take it BACK up to GameStop and they will hand you a BRAND NEW one. It's worth it...but the protection plans.

And my other advice to you would be to CHECK OUT YOUR BILLS. There are all kinds of things they can be charging you for without you even knowing it…and there are ALWAYS ways to cut back and make changes, and I promise it will not be the end of the world if you decide to get rid of cable there are tons of places to watch television now aside from price-hungry cable companies!  J

Now that I have gracefully fallen off of my soap box for today…I will leave you with this bit-o'-information…

IF YOU AREN’T FOLLOWING ME ON TWITTER ALREADY YOU NEED TO BE!!! SERIOUSLY. @JackNFishersMom

And I would like to thank Trey for posting about this on his Facebook page and giving me an awesome blog topic for today! J

Woo Pig Sooie!...Slightly Late...

I live in a college town where football is quite literally a way of life. I wish I were joking, because I am so athletically inclined I’m not sure how I manage to walk from point a. to point b. without difficulty on most days. Let alone participate or understand what is going on in oh, any, sporting event for that matter. Except baseball – that one I know very well! Yay me! But, I have come to the realization that living in a town that focuses solely on sports, fitness, and organic EVERYTHING probably isn’t the best match for my personality.

This weekend is Labor Day weekend, for those of you who have been living under a rock, or just don’t have any contact with the outside world. But in Northwest Arkansas, or ALL of Arkansas for that matter, it is not JUST Labor Day weekend…it is the first Razorback game of the season! Which, is pretty exciting. Now when I say pretty exciting, I do not mean exciting because I get to watch a football game. No, no. I am excited because any event that allows me to cook massive amounts of unhealthy finger foods, wear adorable red Razorback t-shirts with matching flip flops, put a cute little Razorback sticker on my face and hang out with my family, is an exciting day. My brother on the other hand, would beg to differ with me. He IS the ultimate sports fan. And so is his wife, so it’s probably good they found each other. They are HUGE fans of watching sports, talking about sports; playing sports…you name it. So when the first Razorback game comes on television they are literally “in it to win it.” They know exactly what is occurring, what the little yellow flags mean, all of that good stuff. I basically understand that when one of our guys starts running really fast, and there is NO ONE around him, that is a good thing. See? I catch on.

Anyways, I live IN Fayetteville - the HOME of the Razorbacks, University of Arkansas, and Tusk himself. Again for those of you who don’t know who Tusk is, he is the actual mascot. And this year’s freshman class is the largest freshman class the University of Arkansas has EVER had on record, which means, we are going to have the most people in Fayetteville for any Razorback game EVER on record THIS weekend.

I. Am. So. Sad.

As if traffic isn’t bad enough on a regular basis when the U of A is in session, we are going to have a ton of people here this weekend. And I get it, yay more revenue for the city, more exposure, woo-hoo. But no. We are being told that there are going to be SO many people in town using cell phones, that towers may go down, internet services may be slower, and crime will probably temporarily rise. FOR FOOTBALL.

Oh well. At least I get to look adorable!

See?

I even flipped it around so you could read my shirt! I am so rad. But unfortunately the changes didn't stay when I put it in my blog formatting...so that kind of stinks...but you get the idea!

Anyways – this blog is being posted LATE as usual…we won the game. Our car was hit while parked, and no one confessed to it, and we survived the first Razorback game of the season after sitting in traffic for 2 hours while waiting to pull into our driveway.

All in all, it was a good day tater.