Hawkeyes

Good evening, all. I hope that everyone is well and regrouping after the Hawkeye loss yesterday. Mama told me about it because I took a late nap and missed the finale. I did spend the majority of yesterday evening pointing at the TigerHawk on Mama's shirt. I would look at her and smile and she would say "Go Hawks!" and I would put up my arms in the touchdown sign. Mama thought this was funny so I did it over and over again. (Honestly, you would think she would get tired of it. I sure did, but I kept on doing it just for her amusement.)

Speaking of the Hawkeyes, I think that I got so wrapped up in my Airing of Grievances in the last post that I forgot to tell you about last weekend. Here goes:

So last Saturday started off swell. Mama and I got up early and let Papa sleep in a bit since he worked late the night before. When he got up, we swiftly got ready for the Hawkeye showdown verses Northwestern. Papa thought that we must first have a nice big breakfast so that we would not be too terribly hungry during the game. Mama thought that it would be really great if we could go to the local IHOP and that way I could watch the Hawkeye Express come and go with fans for the game. For those of you who don't know, the Hawkeye Express is a great train that is painted Hawkeye colors that takes spectators from just outside IHOP down to Kinnick stadium and back for a fee. I must tell you folks, I LOVE trains, and when Mama requested and was granted a "window seat", I was in heaven! There were so many Hawkeye fans milling about waiting for the next train and before I knew it...there it was! It was massive and swiftly filled up with loyal fans and quickly reversed and headed back down to Kinnick Stadium. All the while, I pointed and clapped and looked at Mama and Papa to make sure that they were taking in the wonder that was the train. Too cool! I got to see that train come and go more than once and it was fantastic each time.

Here's a picture of me watching that great train from my great seat at IHOP.

Finally, we got to go to the game. We got there toward the middle of the first quarter, but Mama and I prefer that because then we don't have to fight with traffic quite so much. It was a great game, but I got pretty tired. After the band performed at half-time (which was awesome, by the way), I fell asleep in Mama's arms. I slept through most of the third quarter and awoke just in time to watch a few more minutes of the game before we left at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Papa had to work that evening, so he stayed at the hospital, but Mama and I headed to the mall to meet Grandma Anderson and Uncle Jess at the mall.

Here's a picture of me and Papa. Mama loves this photo and I'm kind of fond of it because it clearly shows that I DO have some hair! :-)

Here's a picture of the whole family sporting the Hawkeye Black 'n Gold. Mama's very fond of this picture because it's one of the last pictures before she got her braces off!

Here's a picture of the band that truly fascinated me.

Here's Mama and I while I was sleeping during the game!

Grandma and Jess were in town so that Uncle Jess could go to a college visit in Clinton. They both were very displeased with the visit so they came back early for a little shopping. We had fun and ended up going to Bochner Chocolates for some very pretty chocolates. They forgot to get pictures of the actual chocolates, but here's a picture of the fancy box.


By the way, the Hawkeyes ended up losing their battle to Northwestern while we were at the mall. Mama didn't break the news to me until we got home--I don't think she wanted me to pout. I'm also saddened to say that the Hawks lost their battle to Ohio State yesterday as well. Oh, well. I wouldn't have remembered if they went to the Rose Bowl this year anyway. :-)

Hope everyone is well. Have a great week!

Hugs and loves.

Carter