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T-minus 31 hours to departure to Red River and there is so much to do! Get the oil changed, gather up all the kids’ toys, charge the iPods, oh, and I still have to mow, and pack my own stuff! It looks like these next 31 hours will be at break neck speed so that we can spend a week in the calm cool mountains of New Mexico…worth it? I think so! Let vacation begin!

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It’s been a long time since my daughter, Kamryn, and I had an extended amount of time just to go hang out. This is something that I vowed to do, and used to do, but have let it slip since she started kindergarten last fall and in lieu of bike rides and shared time with little bro, Gavin.

Last Friday we ventured out into the abyss of mad shoppers known as Black Friday. My dad, brother and I made our way to Academy while my wife, sister and mom took off to Pier One to check out their sales. Somehow, the guys ended up with the kids. With kids in tow, we headed over to my favorite side of the store…the hunting and fishing side. I have had this itch for a new shotgun…either over/under or semi-auto, I can’t decide…so we went to look at what they had in stock. My brother and I are standing there looking at guns when all of the sudden, Kamryn, my 3 year old daughter, says “Daddy, look there’s one that’s my size.” It was a .22 Rifle, and it was her size. She continues, “When I get a little bit bigger I can use that to shoot reindeer!” At this point, everyone standing within 30 feet of us is either staring at us or rolling in laughter. So I asked her, “Sweety, how big do you have to be to shoot reindeer?” She quickly replied, “4!”

Well I made the trip to Wichita Falls to see the folks yesterday. I left yesterday afternoon about 1, first to drop off something at the church, then to head out to the Falls. I made it to Roanoke with a feeling in my gut that I needed to bypass Hwy 114 (by Texas Motor Speedway) and go up 377 to 407 and across to 287, the road home. I should have trusted my gut, but I didn’t and ended up sitting still in TMS traffic. It took me 45 minutes to travel less than 3 miles. So the trip didn’t start off as planned.

I get to the Falls just in time to go watch the biggest high school football rivalry in the Wichita Falls area. My alma mater, Rider, versus Wichita Falls High (Old High). Rider came into the game already having won district and this was Old High’s last game of the season. To be concise, Old High killed Rider 41-7. It was UGLY! Frankly, I don’t care too much about what happens there since I graduated a long time ago, but I get HUGE kicks out of the animosity that exists between fans on both sides. It’s like everyone thinks that the other has this cosmotic connection that with every intention sabotage the other team. It’s crazy, but quite comical!

Today, I woke up and went to breakfast with the padres. Everything in this local restaurant is a heart attack on a plate. When a standard breakfast is Pork Chops, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns…sounds to me like someone’s arteries are shutting down for the day! So that’s what my dad ate! My mom and I went more traditional with pancakes.

All we did this weekend was eat, and no I didn’t get to go to my favorite dive, Sevi’s. My dad didn’t think it was safe to drive into that neighborhood to eat. So we ate at this new place called The Jalapeno Tree. WHOA! It was great.

After eating, I picked up my replacement vehicle…a silver 2004 Sebring. I made it back to DFW on less than a 1/4 tank of gas. Walking in the door, my cell phone rings and it’s someone I don’t know who has my wife’s phone and purse. Evidently, Richelle left it at TJ Maxx while trying to keep up with the kiddos! So, I’m frantically trying to get hold of my sister in law to tell them how to get it back…all is well, the nice people are going to drop it off by their house. SCARY!

Finally, how ’bout those RED RAIDERS!!! Talk about putting a whooping…no pun intended…on the aggies.

I hate it when my wife and kids leave town without me. I don’t sleep well. I spend countless hours on the internet reading blogs. I get caught up on all my TiVo’d shows. But, when the chaos is still at my house it just doesn’t seem right. I like the noise and craziness of my 3 year old little girl who wakes up talking and talks herself to sleep at night. I can’t sleep because I’m used to having a knee in my ribs or fist in my nose from either my wife or daughter. It’s weird having a king size bed all to yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I DO MISS MY FAMILY!!!

So what am I going to do this weekend…go to a high school football game with my dad, pick up the replacement car for the retired Camry, eat at my favorite burrito place in Texas…no not Chipotle…nope, not Freebirds…yep you guessed it…SEVI’s (in Wichita Falls). I’ll let you know how my Chicken Combo with cheese and sour cream tastes!!! Oh yeah, I almost forgot…Tech plays A&M this weekend…I’ll definitely be watching that one! And of course, frequent trips to Starbucks for my Venti Americano. Sounds like a full weekend to me, how will I ever fit all of that in?