10 cool things that are blue

1. Clear blue sky on a spring day
2. Fresh blueberries on vanilla ice cream
3. The Twitter bird
4. Navy blue walls in my family room and kitchen
5. Sapphires
6. Crystal blue oceans
7. Cheese, bleu that is
8. Butler Blue II (see below)
9. A favorite pair of perfectly broken-in jeans
10. My hair -- I hope. Time will soon tell!

I wish I rode the Oscar Mayer wiener (and I did!)

The e-mail came from Dyl-icious Dylan, asking if I wanted to hop aboard the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and show him around Indianapolis. Frankly, he didn't have to ask me twice! I told him I would relish the opportunity.

Dylan and his partner, Ketchup Kylie, are in Indy for the week and had some down time. They were looking for someone to introduce them a bit to the city. So Dylan googled "Indianapolis bloggers" and came up with me. Hot diggity dog!

It turns out that Kylie was feeling a little under the bun, so Dylan pulled up to my house by himself. There is nothing quite like seeing the Wienermobile driving down your street.

The boys wasted no time running out of the house and taking their seats in the hot dog on wheels. I'm just glad Clifford the big red dog wasn't around to chase down this treat. Dylan, being a very conscientious Hot Dogger, insisted everyone buckle their "meatbelts" before we headed out. I decided to ride "shotbun" so I could help Dylan navigate our way to our first stop.

We headed to a nearby shopping center where Annie and about 29 other teenagers were due to return from a day of service at a camp for kids with disabilities. You should have seen how excited these kids were to see the Wienermobile, get Wiener Whistles and stickers that said "I saw it!"

I'm afraid, for these kids, any other surprise just won't cut the mustard after they've experienced the Wienermobile. And it wasn't just the service day kids. People came out of stores, pulled up in their cars, and followed us into the parking lot just to get close to the legendary Wienermobile (which is actually one of 6 Wienermobiles on the road around the country). 

We had so much fun spreading hot dog smiles that we decided to take the smiles across town to our friends at Joy's House, an adult day community. For security reasons, the guests at Joy's House couldn't come outside to visit the Wienermobile. Instead, Dylan pulled up along the dining room windows, so the guests could relish the view from there. Then we all got out and went inside to visit with the guests and hand out Wiener Whistles and I saw it! stickers.

Of course, we took some time for a few photo ops:

Laura & Tina at Joy's House -- What you might not be able to tell from this picture is that Tina was about to strangle Robbie if he blew his Wiener Whistle one more time.

Once she took the shotbun seat, we weren't sure if we were going to be able to get Tina out of the Wienermobile. 

And despite the fact that the heat was beginning to ketchup with Robbie, we piled out of the HDOW (hot dog on wheels) to pose for a family picture. I'm pretty sure I'm going to send this one out in our Christmas cards.

By the time we were wrapping things up at Joy's House, we were getting pretty hungry. Despite the fact that you're driving around in a giant hot dog -- did you know the Wienermobile is 60 hot dogs long and 24 hot dogs high? -- there's actually nothing to eat on the Wienermobile. So, where do you take the Hot Dogger who is graciously driving you around town in a grilled fiberglass hotdog? To a hamburger joint, of course!

After a dinner at Boogie Burger, we decided to introduce our Hot Dogger to the hottest dawgs we know -- the Butler University bulldogs.  We pulled up outside of legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse and snapped this postcard-perfect picture:

Just as we were getting ready to leave Butler, there was a knock on the side of the Wienermobile, which Dylan said is a pretty common occurrence. What was uncommon about this knock, however, was it came from the father of Butler Blue 2. They (Blue 2 and his pop) had been following our tweets and knew we were on campus. So we introduced Butler's hot dog to Dylan and the Wienermobile. Even our seasoned Hot Dogger was impressed. 

First Blue 2 checked out the Wienermobile -- that's just mustard. Blue 2 was perfectly behaved. 

Then Dylan tried out the Blue 2 mobile.

It was a mutual admiration society. 

By that time, we were all getting pretty tired. So we rolled on home and said goodbye to Dylan and the wiener on wheels. But before he drove away, Dylan left me with my very own beanie weenie -- a stuffed Wienermobile!

Of all the things I've gotten to do as a blogger (and there have been plenty), I think my afternoon in the Wienermobile has been the best yet. (Even better than flying upside down in an airplane!)

Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Dyl-icious Dylan, the Hot Dogger and Wienermobile driver.

Planets aligning

or worlds colliding or something like that.

Planet 1: I told myself this morning as I was walking the dog, that now that the NCAA men's basketball tournament is over, I need to get re-committed to diet and exercise. No more sweet chili cha-cha chicken wings. No blue frosted cupcakes. No more Reese's peanut butter cups (which don't have anything to do with the tournament, except that my general disregard for good nutrition made it easier to eat those too).

Planet 2: Tonight while driving Robbie to soccer practice (a whole other story by itself), I had to unbutton my jeans while I was driving. Oh. Yes. I. Did. Now, they did just come straight out of the dryer and we all know that jeans shrink a lot in the dryer and need some wearing to stretch them out. But I was afraid if I didn't unbutton them, the button would pop right off, ricochet off the steering wheel, hit me in the eye and blind me right there.

Planet 3: Tonight on the Biggest Loser, Courtney was eliminated. I really thought she'd win it all. I don't get star struck very often. But ever since this season began, I have wanted to meet Courtney. She lost 100 pounds on her own before she ever made it on to the show. Now she's lost 215 pounds total!

What I want to know is how has she maintained motivation? I've lost and gained again the same 30-40 pounds at least three times in the last 10 years. Why can't I lose it all, which would be about 70 pounds, and not find it again?

Finding Courtney wouldn't be hard. Her family owns a Dairy Queen in Valparaiso, Indiana. But it seems kind of stalkerish to go up there and order a Dilly Bar with a side of heart-to-heart chat with Courtney. Actually, I'd like to meet her mom, too. She lost about as much as I need to and she's a mom with kids. So yeah, either one of them. Or both of them. We could chat over salads and Diet Coke.

So maybe the end of a celebration plus the frustration of not being able to breathe in a pair of jeans plus inspiration from an unlikely source are just enough planetary alignment to get me back on track.

Stung

The expectations were high. The execution was abysmal.

My Butler Bulldogs lost the national championship of college men's basketball last night. It took my breath away and left me, as a friend said on Facebook, feeling like someone just ran over my dog.

I could go over all the plays and highlights, though there weren't many. I could talk about ifs and whys. I could point fingers at UConn's head coach and talk about NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations. But that won't change the outcome.

I believed. I kept waiting for something to start the run, to unleash the magic the Bulldogs have brought game after game in this tournament. But last night, the dawg remained tethered.

It was too much to watch the post-game. I turned to a DVRd cake show from the Food Network because cake always makes everything better.

Finally, sometime after midnight, I crawled into bed, still in some shocked disbelief. Yet, this morning, I woke up and realized that I was still humming the Butler War Song in my head.

No, my Bulldogs did not bring home a trophy last night. That stings and probably will for a while. But what will outlast the sting is the pride with which I can say I am a Butler graduate.

Matt Howard, Shelvin Mack, Ronald Nored and the others. Coaches Brad Stevens and Matt Graves and the rest of the staff. The way they have competed, their focus on academics, their emphasis on team over individual, the grace and humility with which they seem to conduct themselves on and off the court. All that makes me proud to be a Butler Bulldog. Trophy or not.

Got my Dawg on

My Facebook profile picture is still the green shamrock Butler picture I posted on March 17, the day Butler defeated Old Dominion.

I'm wearing another piece of old Butler fan wear. I wanted a new shirt, but I haven't worn a new shirt for any game in this tournament. So I dug this one out of Mike's drawer.

I just frosted sugar cookies with blue icing. In the win against Florida, it was blue frosted brownies. Over Wisconsin, it was blue BU pancakes.

Mike is drinking his pre-game Diet Mountain Dew.

Charles Barkley picked the Bulldogs' opponent...AGAIN.

All the stars and superstitions are aligned for a Butler victory tonight. Woof woof! You bet I've got my Dawg on tonight!

Nervous chatter

In my recent post about why I love Facebook, I mentioned that it makes watching sports on TV so much more fun. It's been a critical part of my enjoyment of my Butler Bulldogs' dance through the men's NCAA basketball tournament. (Although I will admit not everyone is enjoying it; I've had more than one person tell me all my posts during the game are "blowing up my newsfeed.")

What in the world might someone have to say on Facebook about a college basketball game, you might wonder? Well, this:

Butler fans...time to get unleashed!

3 + 3 = Shelvin, my hero.

C'mon Dawgs! Rebound the ball.

Is it wrong that I'm enjoying watching the replay of that elbow to the nose?

Shake it off, Dawgs! Come back from the break and play your game.

Dear Coach Stevens: Time to reach into your bag of tricks...

3 is such a lovely number.

Rub some dirt on it.

ShelVINNNNNNNN Mack!

How is it half=time already?

We'll sing the Butler war song... (sing it with me...sometime take the next line...)

There's a reason they call them FREE throws, boys....

Time out. C'mon Brad, talk some sense into our boys.

7 is NOT a lovely number.

OK, let's make that the start of our run.

4 fouls on Macklin...let's do something with this.

Something bad is happening in Oz when Matt Howard starts missing free throws.

I don't know who you are #20, but I ♥ you!

Mike Magan is on his feet!

Andrew Smith...puh-leeeeze make these.

Hey -- put that #20 back in!

Nice pits, Billy Donovan.

Let Reggie ref.

YES! Shelvin!

Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

I don't know whether to sweet talk 'em or deliver tough love. So please, sweet honey Matt Howard, make these...or I will hunt you down and kick your patootie.

I'm gonna have to self-medicate to make it through this overtime.

Let's make some magic, Dawgs!

The bucket and the foul!

Tough D....no score...

Could someone please explain to me why Matt Howard is not shooting the dang ball?

GD* referees trying to decide the game. (*gosh darn)

This game is sponsored by the St. Vincent Heart Center and Grey Goose Citrus.

I think I might throw up. I can't watch. But I can't look away.

ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseopleaseohplease....

I need some O2. Stat.

Sir Charles, what do you have to say now?

Wonder if Brad Stevens needs to change his pants before conducting the post-game press conference? I think Mike Magan might.

Now, before you go thinking that I'm a bit nuts, it's not actually like I'm talking to myself (although that does fall under #10 on my reasons to love Facebook). I have friends on FB who are chatting it up too and responding to my posts (and I'm responding to theirs). For instance, someone suggested that the reason Matt Howard was not shooting the ball was because he was afraid I would hit him if he missed.

And I'm aware that the team is 99% probably not seeing/hearing my encouragment (though in this world of wireless technology, you never know). But it makes me feel better to put it out there in the Facebook universe. 

The next game is Bulldogs' second Final Four appearance in two years. The game is in Houston, Texas. But you know where I'll be -- in front of my TV and on Facebook.

Forgotten fragments

Friday. Thank goodness.

And thank Mrs. 4444s for hosting today's fragments.

This first fragment is a video of some sort. I remember enjoying it so much when I first saw it that I thought "I HAVE to share this on Friday fragments!" and so I started this post several days ago, pasting in the embed code for this video. But right now, it's just a big black rectangle on my screen and I cannot for the life of me remember what the heck it is. So I guess it'll be a big surprise for me when I hit the publish button. 



Thank you to everyone who shared kind words regarding my mother-in-law. We went for a visit on Wednesday, a chance for a final goodbye. It was a time filled with laughter and tears. Please continue to keep us and especially my in-laws in your prayers as we continue this journey.

When the time does come that my MIL passes away, I've arranged for several great bloggers to share guest posts here. That way I won't feel pressured to post and you won't wonder if this blog has come to a sudden end.

Yesterday was the start of March Madness, aka the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. My Butler Bulldogs beat Old Dominion with a buzzer-beater. Gotta love that!

Depending on who you ask, I either earned mother of the year yesterday or should be turned into the truant officer. I let Charlie stay home from school to watch the Butler game. He hasn't had any "mental health" days this year, has been working to stay on top of his homework, and needed funeral clothes. So I took him shopping in the morning -- (FYI, Old Navy does not carry anything funeral appropriate, but I did score a suit for $16 for at Once Upon a Child!), then Mike took him to watch the game with other Butler alum this afternoon.

I'm sure there is more I was more I was planning to share for this week's fragments. But my curiosity about that darn video is killing me, so I'll end it here.

Nice guys finish second

The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game between the Butler University Bulldogs and the Duke University Blue Devils has been over for 3 days. And I'm just now finding the strength to write about it. (Not that many of you care -- my BU basketball blog entries were virtually untouched by my usually effusive commenters).

I have to admit that before the game began, I was a doubter. I was in that, "Well, it was cool to get this far" camp, pretty sure that my beloved Bulldogs were going to be trounced by the big boys from Duke.

And if that had happened, I would have still be a proud alum. Butler's got a great group of guys -- 2 Academic All-Americans, 1 guy whose already established his own foundation for kids, 1 guy who is the basketball version of "The Blind Side." Then there's Coach Brad Stevens who is calm, well-spoken and looks like he could be the pitch man for fruit roll-ups (or chocolate milk, as David Letterman suggested).

But darn it all if those guys showed up at Lucas Oil Stadium ready to win! And they almost did. A couple of free throws here, an offensive rebound there, a basket or two falling in and it would have been a different outcome. If Gordon Hayward's last second, mid-court shot had fallen, instead of bouncing in and then out, I think Butler's campus still would be rocking.

Sadly, that's not how the last shot fell. What did fall were the hopes of not just 15 basketball players and a handful of coaches, but the hopes of a nation full of people pulling for the little guy to beat the big, bad giant.

What soared, however, was the pride felt by Butler alumni across the country who probably felt, like I did, that the amazing tournament run by OUR Butler Bulldogs and the mature and classy way those guys carried themselves on and off the court made our degrees a little more valuable.

Thanks Bulldogs! Can't wait to see you next year!

Still dancing...

Go Dawgs!

Now that's class...

Ok, if you are not interested in NCAA men's basketball, sorry. I promise not to turn this into a basketball blog, but we (my family and I) are just so dang excited and proud to have our Butler Bulldogs headed to the Final Four -- in our hometown!

The Bulldogs' head coach is a guy named Brad Stevens. He's 33 years old. He was working in marketing for Eli Lilly and Company, a pharma giant and one of the biggest employers in Indiana, and left his job to become a volunteer member of the Butler men's basketball team. Think about how that conversation might have gone with his wife, though I don't know if he was married then.

"Honey, I think I'm gonna quit my (probably) $50,000/year job and volunteer for a small college basketball team."

I'm pretty sure my reaction would not have been positive. Turned out to be a great decision. (If you're interested, you can read about his rise here.) This guy has such class. Watch his post-game comments from last night's win over Kansas State (63-56) below:

Bringin' it home, baby!

We are going, baby!



Makes me want to write a big, fat check to my alma mater...
too bad I don't have any money!

Recipe for a great night

3 girlfriends
5 Coronas
1 bowl of queso dip
1 bowl of guacamole
2 baskets of chips
36" television broadcasting a Sweet 16 game
1 dozen bar-bound basketball fans

Stir up a conversation among the girlfriends about friends, work, kids, sex and faith. Add in a few colorful expletives shouted toward the basketball game on TV (mea culpa senor to the waiter). Top with 5th-seeded Butler Bulldog team upsetting 1st seed Syracuse.

Shall we do it again on Saturday?