Tailgate and Weekend

Remotes, we missed you at the tailgate!

Millie and Heather trying to convince Rob to fix their computer




Support, IT, PST

Dev, QA, Implementation (We miss you Mad Dog and Mark!)

Can you believe I actually posted a picture of a Gator family???? The kids were just too cute....:)

The GRILLMASTER (poor Lee ended up cooking and didn't get to relax but he did a fantastic job!)

Krishan has to be the only one who actually WANTS to get pelted with a water balloon (he wanted to cool off - it WAS hot but...)

Heather and I showing our best GRRRRRRR

Travis checking on the Iowa-Iowa State Odds (if you know Travis, you know what a sports fan he is...NOT).

On Friday, we had the first annual tailgate extravaganza in Tampa (it is a MediNotes tradition the Friday before the Iowa-Iowa State game). We set up in the grassy area of the parking lot and had a tailgate. Lee was the grillmaster, and each department brought side items, drinks, or deserts. MediNotes picked up the main course (hotdogs, hamburgers). The Iowa group unfortunately had rain, but we were blessed with a beautiful day (HOT HOT HOT outside at 11:30am). We had the pop-up tents, cars decorated, and team wear everywhere. Milie and Heather C dressed as football players with big shoulder pads. Luke wore a soccer jersey. Abhi wore a Mumbai Indians shirt. Banu briefly wore a Tennessee Vols shirt. Mark wore Dawgs gear, and Rob had Bucs decorations everywhere. Heather V had Florida State, and Sidney had Ohio State. Of course, I had orange on every part of me and played Rocky Top blasting from the car. I had really bad kidney stone issues on Thursday, so I didn't really have time to plan. Friday morning, I quickly grabbed my checkerboard hat, my orange and white Tennessee Mardi Gras beads, my Tennessee Hawaiian shirt, my Tennessee shoes, my Tennessee flag (the one that was on the plane in the infamous crash landing), my Tennessee poncho, Tennessee coozie, Vol bobblehead, and my orange and white shakers. :) I also had temporary T tattoos for my face. WOW...I have a lot of Tennessee stuff! :) I didn't even have to try hard for all of that. :) We also had games of ladder ball (ladder golf, bolo toss ladder ball, whatever name you use), football, etc to play. The food and the company was outstanding, and I even got to talk about Ohio State being 0-9 vs the SEC. :)

When I left, I completely forgot that I was in all of that Tennessee garb, and I walked into the cheerleading gym. I started getting odd stares, and I quickly remembered that the rest of the world didn't have a tailgate party. :) Morgan is getting really, really close to getting her full back, so I watched that for a while.

Friday night, we anxiously watched Ike hit Galveston and Houston. My cousin and her family lives in Houston, and my aunt and uncle live in Galveston. Thankfully, my aunt and uncle decided to evacuate on Friday, so they were staying in Houston with my cousin's family. We don't know how their house in Galveston fared yet, but my cousin's house did pretty well (satellite down, part of the fence down, a small tree uprooted). Of course, they have no electricity. My cousin's husband (not sure what that makes him to me...I never can get that right) stepped on a nail and had to go get a tetanus shot. While he was out, he rescued some women who were stuck. We are so glad to know that they are ok. We hope they get power back soon. I know how hard it must be in the heat with no entertainment for the kids. We also hope that my Aunt and Uncle's house and belongings made it through the storm.

Saturday, her cheer gym had its annual beach picnic at Fort Desoto Park. We went and got the boat to drive it there so we could take people tubing. We had watched the weather, read the surf info on the net, asked the marina, and everyone said the water should be fine as long as you don't go "offshore." So, Mike decides to go the Gulf way as he knows that way, and as we get a little ways out, the water was pretty rough. There were big white breakers all over the place. I ask Mike if he is scared, and he says no. So, I chill. I can easily get freaked but Mike is more experienced at this stuff than I am. Of course, he could just be lying so that I don't freak, but I ask anyway. :)

We took some Moms out tubing, and it was pretty rough. We all got our monthly salt intake from the water in our faces, but we had fun. We were getting bounced pretty hard and I was almost vertical (as in a handstand) on the tube at one point and then flopped back down on the tube. That was enough for me and I fell off and swam back in.

Later, we took a bunch of Morgan's friends, and they had a great time on the tube. They all wanted to go again, but it was getting late. We took the coaches out next. They were hysterical. Mike swung them around when he turned and they were really bouncing around. They were crossing the wake, and at times the rope was under the water. They all did great though, and I think everyone had a great time.

On the way home, Mike said he wanted to go to the Olive Garden for the never ending pasta bowl (we never have room for more than one bowl so we wonder if others do??). Morgan loves the Olive Garden, so we went there. She tried Alfredo sauce, but she did not like it. Mike and I learned that hugging is the first step in a relationship from Morgan, and she also wanted to know about kissing hands. We giggled hysterically and had a great time.

Mara had asked us to come over on the way home, and we were SOOO tired that I didn't think we would. The sun took it all out of us. However, we didn't want to not go at all, so we decided to stop in for a few minutes. We had said that we would leave by 9. At 11:15, Morgan says, "I thought we were leaving at 9." Gotta love it. We had a great time (as always) with Mara, Kraig, Denise, Damian, and Tori.

Sunday, we stayed home and chilled. I was upstairs trying to make my kidney stop revolting for part of the day, and Mike actually called my upstairs on my cell phone. Man, it is pitiful when you talk from upstairs to the downstairs. :) Morgan and Mike made me dinner and brought it up to me. Morgan was so sweet and wanted it to be just right.

Of course, the night had to end with Mike's ex being difficult (SHOCKER). Birthday season is difficult every year. I am never sure where the imaginary world she lives in exists, but I hope I never have to find out.

I am way behind on pictures, so I will try to get some posted!