Long Live the Matadors

I finally had a chance to upload all the pictures we took last week. This first round is from our visit to Amarillo and Tech Homecoming. I could get sentimental about how this year marks 10 years removed from my college graduation. How I never expected this to be the life I had but how I wouldn't trade it for the world. How I'm so lucky to be with the same man I was with 10 years ago and to be even more in love with him today. How I loved my time in college but I wouldn't go back to being the terribly insecure 22-year-old of 10 years ago. How I'm so blessed and fortunate and grateful for all that I've experienced in the past 10 years.

Or I can just post this picture:

I think that pretty much sums it all up. Holy cow, I love that man.

Before we left for Lubbock, we spent a few hours with Amy and her family. Abigail, who I think is rather fond of her Uncle Paul, and Paul, who won't admit how fond he is of Abigail, spent most of that time playing and taking pictures. The above picture is courtesy of Abigail--she and Paul were making funny/scary faces at each other. Paul got to make lots of funny/scary faces last week as it seems all the littler visitors got a tremendous kick out of doing this with him.

I got one picture in before the camera was commandeered by the other two. We took Benjamin's birthday present with us. He pulled out some tissue paper and then was totally disinterested. But I can't blame him too much--we are the clothes-and-books aunt and uncle.
Abigail with her My Little Pony balloon. I'm sure there will be plenty of these when she turns 5 in February because she is having a My Little Pony Party. We know this because she's been planning it since shortly after she turned 4.
Abigail thought we needed a picture of me, Benjamin, and the Elmo balloon from his birthday party.
Abigail's mama as photographed by Abigail.
E-L-M-O. It sings. It dances. It's more than a little frightening to me. Paul wanted to take it apart to see the electronics inside it. (Photo by Abs)
Benjamin showing us "teeth." Careful or he will put your eye out in the exuberance to show you "eye."
Uncle Paul shows us "teeth." (Yes, Abigail took this picture too. I'm bad about framing but not quite this bad.)
Abigail's funny/scary face for Uncle Paul.
This is Abigail getting arty with her photography--this is taken inside the cardboard box Abs and Benjamin use as a garage for their Cars cars.
Just exhausted from the whole of it--it was past nap time for both of them.
And then we were off to Lubbock for the football game. Snapping a few pictures on the way from our "usual" (by the Tech Theater across from Wall Hall, dorm sweet dorm for Amy in 94-95). This is the Texas Tech Main Library. We know--it looks like a large radiator.
The fountains at Memorial Circle. These weren't there 10 years ago but I like this improvement.
The ubiquitous Double T, this one at Jones AT&T Stadium (or just Jones Stadium as it was known back in the day--the day before corporate sponsorship on everything, that is).
The South Plains of Texas. Yes, it really is that flat. We were just glad the skies weren't the lovely shade of brown it turns when it gets windy in Lubbock.
See the "C" up there in Tech? Our seats were one row below that--52 rows up (after the flight of stairs to get to the second level). We definitely had the bird's-eye view of the football game.
Double T on Midnight Matador.
And, of course, The Going Band from Raiderland at halftime.

So there it is--Homecoming 2007. 10 years after my college graduation. Tech won, which they probably didn't do 10 years ago. And we got to sit on the "grown-up" side of the stadium rather than claiming our six inches in the student section. That, and all this. Life is definitely good for this alum.

Tomorrow: Balloons!