Mark's 30th Birthday Celebration

In November, Mark celebrated his 30th Birthday.  After months of discussing plans and preparations Mark opted to not have a big party or celebration because his family would be out of town.  So the weekend before his Birthday we had plans to go to Boulder, CO for the A&M vs. CU game and thanks to Bryan and Clint they made it a weekend he will never forget.

Mark and I got really lucky to begin with.  The night before we were planning to drive out to Colorado we went to Aggie Happy Hour so Mark could introduce me to the other Ags of Southeastern Kansas.  Scott, a seasoned pilot, fellow Aggie and Aerospace Engineer, invited us to fly out to the game with us.  Since this would save Mark and I over 10 hours of travel time over the weekend we quickly seized that opportunity.  Scott has a small four seater Mooney.  I got to sit up front and even fly the plane a little.  I must say I was incredibly scared to be in a plane that small but our pilot was great and very patient with me taking time to explain every switch, knob and dial.  So off we flew...

Clint Baker, who drove to Colorado in record time from Texas, picked us from the airport and we headed on to Boulder.  Opting to skip out on Aggie festivities for the night we headed out to Pearl Street in search food and drinks.  Before we left the hotel I surprised the boys with some t-shirts to mark the special occasion.  They were a little hesitant to wear them out in public so after Mark modeled his shirt in the hotel the boys decided to wear them out but underneath what they deemed acceptable attire.  However as the night went on, and the more the boys drank, the more the shirts came out.  I think everyone will attest that the most annoying line of the night was coined by Clint.  "Hey! Hey! Have you seen this guy?"

Then there was Game Day....

Mark was in charge of purchasing the tickets and he really hit the jackpot with these.  The picture above was not taken with a mega-zoom lens but rather with my little point and shoot camera I always keep in my purse.  We were sitting 6th row 45 yard line and it was awesome.  Even though the Ags lost it was still probably one of the best games we have ever been to.  The seats were so close to the field that we felt like part of the action.  As Mark pointed out, you could even smell the icy hot.

Mark's favorite player of the year, Aggie Quarterback Jerrod Johnson, totally turned around and pointed to Mark. (not really but at least it looks like it in the picture) 

The next morning, after a big hearty breakfast, Bryan took us on a little sightseeing trip around Boulder and even got us out of the car for a little fresh air and exercise.  Thank goodness Bryan's flight was early, had it been any later I don't know if I would made it much farther in our hike.  They might have had to life flight me off the mountain.

Mark and I headed back to the airport a little early to relax and wait for our flight home.  While we waited we got our own personal sky diving show.

After a fun and exhausting weekend we finished off Mark's Birthday celebration with a surprise visit from Mark's Dad and Donna on Monday, November 10th, Mark's Birthday.  I was not sure how I was going to pull it off but I kept it a secret and when Mark arrived home from work he was greeted by his father wearing a "Mark's Big 30" t-shirt.

 

Happy 30th Birthday Mark!  I hope this is one you will never forget.

Exploring Wichita's Botanical Garden

One quiet weekend in Wichita, Mark and I decided to take the camera out for a practice run at the Botanical Garden.  I think the pictures are good enough for us to print a wall calendar.

A new Aggie Tradition

It was an exciting and disappointing season of for Aggie Football but one of the biggest highlights of this year was the emergence of a new Aggie Tradition.  2009 marked the 1st Annual A&M vs. Arkansas Game at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.  Jerry World signed A&M and Arkansas to a 10 year contract at the stadium and our plan is to be present each year.  Our goal for the remaining 9 years is to become tailgating professionals.  It will be fun to watch over the years to see how our set up changes and progresses.

2009 Tailgate & Game Highlights

The day started out to be promising; however, the rain set in and we spent most of the tailgate huddled up under the tent.  But before the rain and even in between some of the rain drops we were able to capture some of the fun on film.

We arrived early before everyone to start setting up and to get a good spot.  Notice I am the one setting up and unpacking supplies and Mark is the one playing with the camera.  The coloring is not an effect done after to create a vintage tailgate experience; Mark just forgot make sure he was not shooting in Black & White.

 Not the most impressive set up but it leaves serious room for improvement.  Imagine how awesome this site will be in 2019.

Clint, Gabe, Mark, Greg - Fightin Texas Aggies Class of '02

Maaaaygan (Class of '09) & Me (Class of '03)

While Megan was at college Mark and I made every excuse to visit A&M thus beginning our less than impressive Tailgate experiences.  Johnny can vouch that the worst was 2005 A&M vs tu.

Quick Game of Catch

 

You can feel the intensity or is that fear of pain.

These two are so stinking cute. Just had to share this adorable moment.  (And yes I realize that Clint will be making fun of me for this comment.)

After a few beers Clint decided to teach us a new way to throw...

... and catch.  What is impressive is he did not spill a drop during either demonstration.

The new stadium is awesome! The TV is so big and in your face that you are unable to focus on anything else other than what is on the screen.

Surprised my hair does not look worse after an afternoon of down pours and humidity. (Notice how I am trying to distract you so you focus on me and not the incredibly drunk look on Mark's face.)

Calm before the storm.

Only Make Bets You Know You Can Win

One of Life's Greatest Lessons you should learn at an early age is Only Make Bets You Know You Can Win.  Mark, in a state of over confidence, decided that he would bet one of guys in his fantasy football team that if he won the league that he would have to dress up as the other team's mascot at the next years fantasy football draft and vice versa. 

Mark, whose team is the Dixie Chickens, was looking forward to seeing his opponent dressed as a large Rebel Chicken since Victory was Imminent, or so he thought.

Well, as you tell by the picture Mark did not come out victorious and with as much pride as he could muster, showed up to the 2009 Fantasy Football Draft dressed as the mascot for the Pixies.

The best part was as I dropped him off at a friend's house for the draft a few neighborhood boys, around age 12, were out riding their bikes and started pointing and laughing. 

I will say that this is the only night when it was acceptable for Mark to come home covered in Glitter after a night out drinking with the boys.