I moved to Austin, Texas earlier this year. Honestly, I love it here. Austin is a cool city with great people. (And dare I mention amazing public schools and parking spaces wide enough for my SUV?) I truly am happy here and can’t wait to raise my daughter in this amazing community.
But, I have to tell you, watching the San Francisco Giants earn a spot in the World Series reminds me how much I love (and miss) my adopted home-town. I love the Bay Area. To date, my years in the “city by the bay” are my happiest. I built a life, a career, a home and (best yet) a family there. I am loyal to my beloved city.
Now, the San Francisco Giants are playing in the World Series. Just last week, I was in San Francisco when the Giants won a play-off game, and I was in Santa Cruz when they lost a play-off game. It became apparent to me: I am a Giants fan.
The irony of it all? The Giants are playing in the World Series against the Texas Rangers.
Everyone in Austin is ready to cheer for the Rangers, ready to show their Texas pride. I think that is awesome. BUT, I feel a stirring inside me, a reminder that perhaps I left my heart in San Francisco. When I watch videos like the one above and see the Giants fans rallying together, I get a little sad because I am not there.
The up-side? I know who I am. I am an Austinite who loves the Giants! So, I’ll don the black and orange in a sea of Texan red-white-and-blue. Proudly. GO GIANTS!
I can’t believe it’s 2009 already. My family and I rang in the New Year with our dear friends, who are more like family, so 2009 is off to a great start! And today was an equally happy day for LTV Mom:
Morning = The kid slept in until 9:30 (yes, 4-year-old kid stayed awake to say “Happy New Year” at midnight.) Of course, this means mom slept in too! Watched Iowa win the Outback Bowl.
Afternoon = Ate homemade chili (one of my best batches) and drank Bloody Marys. Watched Nebraska win the Gator Bowl (awesome game). Played Hullaballoo with the kid. Napped.
Evening = Beat my husband at cribbage. Blogged a bit. Laughed a lot.
I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy 2009!
Let me say it one more time: "March Madness is for Moms too!" I love college basketball, and tonight’s NCAA championship game is exactly why! I was underwhelmed when the brackets were announced and my team was nowhere to be found. I was bummed when my hometown team was ousted in the first round by an amazing buzzer-beater. I knew I lost my office pool when my top-pick choked. BUT… tonight’s championship game with Kansas beating Memphis in OT was magic.
The game was so intense I couldn’t concentrate. My stomach was churning, I was biting my nails, I was pacing the room, and I was giving my husband high-fives. A big three-pointer to put the game into OT? Are you kidding me?!
Of course, the game was smack-dab in the middle of my typically off-limits, post-work-pre-bed time with my kid. So, my family was watching the game while playing Crazy Eights and Memory. (Seriously!) I figure March Madness is a good tradition for our family, since Mom and Dad just can’t get enough college basketball. (How’s that for spin?)
Three final notes: I’d like to give a shout-out to XiaolinMama, my fellow mom-blogger and March Madness addict! (Thanks for the moral support when Drake lost!) Of course, I must give big props to Ryan Lack, my fellow Big 12 fan and ultimate cohort in the March Madness pool. My last, and greatest, round of kudos go to my husband for winning the company March Madness pool AND getting the most picks right in the tournament. Honey, you are a stud.
Here’s a shout-out to XiaolinMama, my friend and fellow blogger, who might love March Madness more than me! (Read her post on Silicon Valley Moms Blog here.)
XiaolinMama might be cheering for UCLA (cough, cough), but I am cheering for my hometown team, Drake University. (Note, neither my alma mater nor my husband’s alma mater made it to the Big Dance this year.) Drake, this year’s Missouri Valley Conference champions, play their first game on Friday, March 21 at 11:30 a.m. CST.
Drake really is the "Cinderella Team" of the tournament. I never thought I would say this, but GO BULLDOGS! (Supporting the great state of Iowa!)
Just trying to squeeze in some television between mothering, working and crashing.
