so surreal

the apps did it again, and again, and again! it's been a little over a week since the big 3-peat in chattytown and, well, people are still chattin' about the historic accomplishments of the mountaineers! we had another great time in chattanooga and have come to feel like it's another home game with so many of the black and gold nation in the stands and on the streets. this year i guess you could say it wasn't simply the stands and streets, heck it was sidelines too - four corners full of proud mountaineers ready to rush the field to celebrate the victory. regardless of the crap espn take on things, our crowd rocked the river city and did so with lots of enthusiasm...give 'em hell apps!

i'm home for the holidays and it feels nice to be here for a few days. i can already tell that i'll be putting on a pound or two with all the food before me. too bad i can't run off the calories quite yet but hopefully soon after the new year. it's been too long and i really hope i can resume the running routine since it provides a nice stress relief. but for now i will have to rely on walking my brother's two jack russells who have come all the way from nashville for the holidays! they are a handful but fun to play with and they keep us all entertained.

speaking of entertainment...we braced ourselves and ventured out to the mall late this afternoon to take in the annual last minute shopping endeavor. mom & i were amazed at the number of people who really do wait until the final hours to prepare. further, i didn't realize the number of international folks in catawba county...i had heard there was an influx of hispanic and hmong cultures in hickory and i truly saw this tonight. it was interesting to see the interactions of all the people - and yes, regardless of the cultures, everyone seemed to be sucked into the pop cultures of hollister, a&f, aeropostale, and such crap. trust me, i'll take mast general store any and every day.

tomorrow we'll begin the christmas festivities in earnest with christmas eve services and an open house at my oldest brother's new home across town...to be christened and celebrated with our traditional holiday spirits ~ a.k.a. white russians and "christmas tree" beverages! oh the setzer traditions...

may you and yours have a wonderful holiday and remember those traditions!

p.s. in honor of the apps oh-so-sweet-3-peat...the photo up top is of the crew in chatty celebrating with pride!

those helmets

it seems strange that we began the football frenzy with those blue and yellow helmets that have odd stripes and, now, we will end with another version of those blue and yellow helmets with odd stripes. regardless, we're headed back to chattanooga for a third straight year and a chance to make more history! how exciting is that!?!!

this fall has been such a memorable one. we've had ups and downs, but the ups have been way more and so much fun to experience. i keep wondering, when does it end? i won't worry much about that right now and will stay focused on the memory making with friends...yet again! thursday morning cannot come soon enough, as it will be a huge challenge to focus on work and other non-essential things before we head out to the rock city. i don't know much about those fightin' blue hens, but i do know they better be ready for the surge of black and gold nation. it's sure to be a grand time and, no matter what happens on friday night, it sure is GREAT TO BE A MOUNTAINEER!


p.s. i'll miss a certain "ex-patriot" who will not be in 'nooga on friday night...but i know he'll be cheering loud and proud across the pond while enjoying a quality bottle on vino.