December 2019

December is such a fun and exciting month. The kids are so excited about seeing Santa and trying to figure out what they are going to ask the big guy for. Outside of the kids I try to focus more on the birth of our Savior and trying to get ready for the beginning of the next year and how I plan to make it better than the one before. Since Thanksgiving fell late in the month of November I actually put the trees up in the house before everyone came to visit.

The most important ornaments that we have every year are our family ornaments. Every year we try to get something memorable or something to remind us of things that happened during the year. Here were all of our ornaments from the previous years along with the hand and footprint ornaments that we have made for the kids. This was actually the first year that we opted out of doing the kid print ornaments.

The kids decorating the Christmas tree. 

Our silly elf Nick Kringle came back to keep an eye on the children. They were both so excited to see where he was every morning. 

Our newest ornaments for this year. Jennifer made us all Shutterfly ornaments that contained things that we did this past year. Mine was Dance Blue themed since I started working in the clinic this year. Jennifer went back to working full time this year in the NACU. This is a unit that primarily takes care of little babies who are withdrawing from drugs that their mother has taken during pregnancy. Brinley got one with pictures from her first triathlon and Landon got one from his first 5K.

One day after volunteering at the kids school I decided to take a hike out at Raven Run. It was a beautiful day and I spent a long time just looking at the beauty all around me. I spent some time looking at the rings from a tree that had been cut down. You can find out so much about a tree from these rings. Which years were good and rain and sunshine were aplenty. Tiny rings show of struggle and hard times. No matter what this world throws at us we have to adapt. This hike in the woods and in nature was awesome. I definitely need to take more time to be out in nature, all of God's creation can do so much for your well being. 

With it being such nice weather outside I was able to talk the kids into going out to Jacobson Park to get some pictures made. Unfortunately we went right around dusk and most of the pictures turned out a little dark. These were a couple of the good ones that we got. 

We were only able to get a couple of family ones before it really got too dark. I even tried to take a couple at the house, but didn't really find any that I liked. I decided to not tell the kids, but we were going to have to make a return trip to try and get some better ones with some better lighting. 

They have a program at the kid's school every couple of months where dads come have breakfast with their kids. On this day they had donuts which the kids were excited about. They even had a little magic show too. The only downfall was that they have a raffle before the kids are able to go to class. For the past 3 years Brinley has been lucky enough to get picked for a prize. Guess who has never been picked.....Landon. Taking him to class after his sister wins something has always been a hard one for the little man. Thankfully I took a couple of pictures of him before the drawing or else I wouldn't have gotten one. Brinley won the water bottle that she is holding up in the top right picture. Also as a side note, this was the first time that we have gone to this event that one of the kids abandoned me. Brinley didn't want to sit with me because she wanted to sit with her friend. 

We made a trip downtown for the Christmas parade. It also happened to be the opening day at Frank's Donuts here in Lexington so we stopped and got some before we found a spot to sit and wait for the parade. The kids even complained it was cold so I headed over to Cup of Commonwealth for a couple of hot chocolates. 

I worked the basketball game against Fairleigh Dickenson and then Jennifer and the kids met me downtown for dinner at Pies and Pints. After dinner we headed across the street to the Opera House to watch the Lexington Children's play of The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever. It was a really great show.

We made a second attempt at Christmas pictures. The kids were in a much better mood this day and even wanted to help take the pictures.

I had gotten some passes to the Cincinnati Zoo at a silent auction that were going to expire at the end of the year so we took a little trip up to see the animals and the Christmas nights.

It had been a while since we had been to this zoo so the kids were really excited to see everything. My favorite part of the lights is this colorful arch walkway. 

We decorated gingerbread houses. We usually just do one, but everyone really wants to decorate more so this year we decided to do two. The girls decorated one and the boys did the other. 

Last year for Christmas Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids a big wooden ticket for the polar express train ride. (Apparently the tickets sell out early in the year and they were unable to get tickets the year before.)  Anyways we picked the kids up from school and headed to French Lick, Indiana to ride aboard the Polar Express. Before we got on board we had dinner at a local German Cafe.

They had a little activity area before you boarded where you could cut out paper snowflakes, color, or play with train sets. The train ride itself is really neat. You board the train and they read the story of the Polar Express. Along the ride you get hot chocolate and cookies. Then you reach the North Pole and Santa hops on board. The train ride back is filled with singing and dancing to Christmas songs. It was a really fun experience and I think if you have younger children it is something that you should definitely look into doing. 

The top left picture was our singing and dancing elves from our train car. Also pictured was our elf on the shelf, Nick. Every year he has stuffed himself in a jar and gone on an adventure with the kids. Everyone also got a golden ticket on the ride just like in the book. It was a great night with Grandma and Grandpa. We just had one upset kid as we were getting back to the train station. Brinley was tired and was acting irrational. She fell asleep soon after we got in the car to head back home. 

We were unable to find a time to all get together with Jennifer's family for Thanksgiving and were having trouble finding time for Christmas. We split the difference and celebrated both around the middle of the month. 

The game against Georgia Tech was a really great atmosphere. I always enjoy when this music professor comes and sings the national anthem. For the last few years he starts singing and then steps back and directs the crowd in the singing. Hearing 20,000 + people sing the Star Spangled Banner gives me chills every time.

Every year the women's basketball team plays a game at Rupp Arena and they usually ask the blue coats to work the event. This year they took on Louisville and I brought Jennifer and the kids. We had stopped at one of our favorite downtown restaurants, Doodle's beforehand and the kids enjoyed some beignets. Brinley and I were out getting some snacks when we ran into the wildcat and one of our other friends named Brinley. Louisville won in overtime by just one point. Kentucky even had a chance at the last second to hit a shot to win the game. It was a really fun atmosphere!

After the game I took off my blue coat and we got a picture in front of the Christmas tree in triangle park. 

Jennifer and I were both off on the kid's last day of school for the 2019 year. We were able to split duties between the two kids Christmas parties. 

The Kentucky Football team qualified for a bowl game and got selected for the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, NC. They told us to stop by the facility for some gear. While I was there I asked if it was ok if we came to watch practice and they said yes. So, Landon and I went down and watched the team practice before heading down to Charlotte. I also showed Landon around some of the facility. Landon really enjoyed creating his own uniform combination. As an extra perk they gave us tickets to the bowl game and even mention that when the Wildcats won we would be getting bowl rings too! Now I had to make the trip to Charlotte and cheer on the CATS!

On the way to church the Sunday before Christmas I noticed five trees at the entrance to our subdivision with a sign that said they were free. I told the kids that if there were any left when we got back home then we would get one. On our way home from church the kids were saying that they hoped one was still there. Not a single one had been taken. I guess most people had a tree just days before Christmas. The kids thought it was so awesome that I threw it in the trunk of the car and drove the rest of the way home.  

The kids decided to help me with some Christmas candy. They quickly grew tired of stirring the spoon waiting for things to get to the right temperature. They sure were excited to lick the beaters. 

We finally got our favorite picture the second time out in the Jacobson Park pine tree forest. 

Andrea and Chris wanted to take Olivia to see the Southern Lights for the first time. All the kids enjoyed seeing the lights and even riding on the miniature train. Everyone also enjoyed eating some kettle corn too!. 

Some more of the stuff that Nick Kringle got into this season. He left some cookie supplies, ingredients for reindeer food, and once he even hid 12 candy canes around the house for the kids to find. 

We had some family cookie decorating time. I think that they turned out pretty great. Even better than the decorating was how they tasted. The kids picked out their favorites to sit out for Santa.

Christmas morning the kids got up super early. Brinley woke up at 5 am and came into our room. We asked her to stay with us for a little bit so that Landon could get some more sleep. At 7 am she had finally had enough and she went to wake up her brother. The kids both got chrome books from Santa and some other gifts from mommy and daddy. 

The rest of the morning was just spent lounging around at the house. We played with Olivia and even took her on her first dune racer ride. A couple of people decided to head to the movies for some afternoon entertainment. The weather was so nice outside that I took a little run through the neighborhood. On my way home I told Jennifer and the kids to get ready so we could go on a family bike ride. It was so weird saying Merry Christmas to people out in the neighborhood while riding a bike, in Kentucky, in December! 

Since Uncle McKinley had to work we weren't able to get together with the whole Heflin crew until he got off at 6 pm. We had dinner and then spent some time together and opened gifts from each other. 

This little tin filled with peanut brittle is something that has been with me every year since I was little. One year as a child I asked Santa for peanut brittle. That year I got this tin filled with peanut brittle from Santa. I apparently thought that Santa's peanut brittle was better than my Mamaw's. Every year at Christmas I look for this little tin that is always filled with the delicious treat inside. I was really surprised to see this tin filled up the year after my Mamaw passed away. It still keeps making an appearance and even though I love the treat I enjoy more the memories of my Mamaw.

While Grandma and Grandpa were in town visiting we worked on some puzzles. Puzzles are one of my favorite hobbies. It is peaceful, challenging and then so rewarding when you get the whole thing put together. The bottom two pictures are of a gift that we got this year. It has both big and small pieces so that all family members can help with the puzzle. It is a Christmas Mickey and Minnie puzzle. We are going to make it a new tradition to put it together every year. I even timed us this year and it took us 55 minutes. Not too bad for a 400 piece puzzle.

With this just being my 2nd year as a blue coat I have never gotten to work the Louisville game. The crowd was electric and the game did not disappoint at all. It was a back and forth battle that even required an overtime to decide a winner. A couple of things that I took away from this game. To start the game we had a former player, Issac Humphries sing the national anthem. It was only weird because he is an Australian. Secondly I had my worst fan interaction ever as a blue coat. After the game I had a Louisville fan approach me and with lots of curse words tell me that I was unprofessional for cheering for the wildcats while working. I informed him that I wasn't working because I am an unpaid volunteer. After a few more choice words from this guy I wished him a happy new year and headed home. It is always a great day when you beat the cardinals.

We also had some passes for the aquarium that were going to expire at the end of the year so we made a trip up to Newport after church to see the animals. I had actually thought about leaving Jennifer and the kids and heading across the river to watch the Bengals/Browns football game. It was cold and raining outside so I opted to stay indoors with Jennifer and the kids. We got to see scuba Santa, sharks, sting rays, albino crocodiles, and penguins. Brinley was terrified to touch the sting rays, but had no problem touching a shark. Sometimes these little kids make no sense.

I was able to get some time off from work so that we could head down to the Belk Bowl in Charlotte. Jennifer had to work so I took the kids and my parents. The kids enjoyed playing on their Nintendo DS that Uncle McKinley gave to them on the 6 hour drive. After getting there and checking in to the hotel we headed downtown. They had a joint pep rally with both teams bands and cheerleaders. It was a pretty interesting event that was about 90% Kentucky fans. We ended the night by eating at a little diner in that shopping center. Landon was determined to write his name and the tip on the receipt. He asked if he could write his name, but I told him it would have to be mine. After dinner the kids got to take a little swim in the pool.

The next morning we headed down to the stadium. We ran into my college friend Ginny and her family who had came down to the game. Since they moved down to South Carolina we haven't gotten to see them much except for on social media. It was great to see them and catch up with her.

The kids all played together like they were best friends. Hopefully it won't be as long in between times when we get to see them. 

Since I was the one in charge of all the planning and I am a procrastinator I didn't book a single thing before we got to Charlotte. I called a hotel and got a room about an hour before arriving, booked a parking spot the night before the game, and lastly I waited until the very last second to buy a ticket. The team gave me two tickets and I got too more from a friend. That left us with only 4 tickets and we needed one more. I had been keeping an eye on the tickets online and thought the prices would drop right before the game. Well, I was wrong! I decided to just grab one at the stadium ticket office. On my way up to the ticket office a gentleman asked me what I was doing. I told him I needed to get a ticket. He asked how many I needed and I told him just one. Next thing you know he had opened up an envelope and gave me a ticket for FREE! He told me Merry Christmas and I thanked him very much.  The team gave me some awesome seats for the game. We were behind the Kentucky bench at the 40 yard line and only 9 rows from the field! 

What an awesome game! The Wildcats and Hokies battled back and forth the entire game. I found out that Virginia Tech was only a 2 hour drive from the stadium and boy did they show up for the game! They were loud and kept their side of the stadium rocking. We scored the go ahead touchdown with just 15 seconds remaining in the game. What an awesome ending to the football season. They ended up being 8-5 on the season and had to use a wide receiver at quarterback for most of the season due to injuries. I met up with two of the other guys that I worked with on game days (picture on the middle left). Mom and Dad could be seen on the ESPN broadcast (middle right picture). Then when we were heading home I got a text from Jennifer that the kids and I were featured on the local news.

After a six hour drive back home we made it back to Lexington at 11:30 pm on New Years Eve. Just in time to watch the ball drop and we even face timed with mommy at work. I even took the kids out back to do a couple of sparklers. 

The year 2019 proved to be a very interesting year for us. Jennifer and I both got new jobs, a new car, we completed some more half marathons (5 for me, 6 for Jennifer), the kids went to summer camp, we took the kids to Legoland and Daytona Beach, Jennifer and I hiked out west, the kids started playing baseball, Landon ran a 5k, Brinley completed a triathlon, and there were many more adventures throughout the year including tons of UK sporting events. I pray that 2020 be a year filled with love, laughter, happiness, and time with family. Thanks for reading and God bless!

November 2019

The month of November was full UK athletic events and spending time with family for the holidays. Jennifer and I started off the month with a weekend running adventure. Here is everything we did during the month.

We dropped the kids off at school on November 1st and snapped a quick family picture before Jennifer and I headed out on our weekend adventure. We love these two little ones so much. Thankful for grandma and grandpa to watch them. 

After a nine hour drive it was nice to get out and enjoy a little bit of Tilghman Island, Maryland. Jennifer and I went to dinner and then sat by the fire pit for a bit before going to bed early so that we would be well rested for the race in the morning. Jennifer even got in a pre-race swing on the tree swing. It was also a beautiful sunrise on race morning.

Maryland was our ninth state for our half marathon challenge. We got ourselves in a little predicament over this race weekend. I re-injured my leg about 3 weeks prior to this and wasn't able to properly train. Jennifer had been missing quite a few of her training runs too. We decided to try and take it easy on the first day of running so that we would still have something left for our run the next day. This race had a longer time limit that the course would be open too. Jennifer and I did a run/walk approach. As we kept completing miles the run time got shorter and the walking got longer. My leg felt good and I was trying to help motivate her to run longer periods of time. We crossed the finish line around 2:52, which was my worst race time ever.

The main goal was accomplished though. Finish the race and not have any injuries. Jennifer and I voted that this was by far our least favorite race based off the scenery that you saw over the 13.1 miles. It started out in the first mile by passing over the drawbridge and being able to see the bay. Then for the next 12 miles we didn't see water again. That wouldn't be that crazy, but we were on and ISLAND! I would have assumed we would have seen all different views of the bay.

Jennifer and I hopped in the car and drove to Pennsylvania so that we could pick up our race packet for the next day. The next day's race was going to be held at Gettysburg. We toured the visitor center and museum before calling it a night. We had dinner and then treated ourselves to a treat at the Dairy Queen next to our hotel.

I told Jennifer that for this race I was going to try and push myself a little bit more and that I was going to run separate from her. She was nervous that she was going to be swept up on the race and not allowed to finish due to being too slow. I gave her as many words of encouragement that I could before the race. I felt that my leg was probably going to give out on me and I wanted to be as far into the race as possible when that happened. If nothing else I figured I could hobble the rest of the way. I am a very determined guy and they were going to have to take me kicking and screaming if they thought they were going to pick me up and not let me finish. I made it about the first 4.5 miles before my calf began to start hurting. I then resorted back to the run/walk combo from the day before. The course had some incredibly large hills too. I made sure to try and get my walking time on those because going uphill hurt my leg the worst.

We both survived. I ended up walking quite a bit more than I would have liked to, but like I said there were lots of hills. I finished with a time of 2:18, which I was extremely happy with considering I was running on a hurt leg. Jennifer actually finished better than she did the day before which she was happy about. We drove through the park to take some pictures together on the battlefield. The time that my parents brought me to Gettysburg as a child I didn't act like one should at a place where thousands died. This trip the battlefield brought so many more emotions. I can't imagine what those men on that battlefield were going through. It made me sad for all the families that were broken apart over this war and all the lives that were lost. I kept remembering from my favorite movie, Remember the Titans when they ran to the battlefield of Gettysburg and Coach Boone said "I killed my brethren with malice in my heart, hatred destroyed my family." If we as a society can't learn to work together, then this might happen to us again. Love one another, just as Christ loves you!

To celebrate completing our race we headed downtown to eat at the Blue and Grey Bar and Tavern. You could choose a Union or Confederate burger named after a general in the army. I had the General Warren from the Union side. It was a burger with brisket and smoked gouda on a pretzel bun. It was delicious. I just had to get my picture with the Abraham Lincoln statue right out front too.

While we were in town I noticed an election sign that said Heflin. Not that common of a last name I just had to get a picture with it. Hopefully she won. 

On another family trip my parents saw some roadside sign that talked about some elephant museum. For those of you that don't know, since birth my parents picked elephants as my animal to collect. Andrea is penguins and McKinley is whales. Well, on this trip I wanted to get home quicker so that I could see my girlfriend. To boycott I chose to sit in the car while they went in to the museum. I have thought about how silly I acted many times and have actually thought about that elephant museum before. Well, when we entered Gettysburg the day before I spotted a sign advertising Mister Ed's Elephant Museum. I told Jennifer that I just had to make a stop by the place to right a past wrong. The place was crazy! It had so many elephants. My favorite one was the top middle picture of the elephant that fit together like a puzzle and also had it's baby cut out too.

Grandma and Grandpa were worn out when we returned home. Not only did they have both of our children, but they also watched Olivia while her parents were on an anniversary trip. These three kids were about the same age range as the three of us Heflin kids. The only difference is that Grandma and Grandpa had another 28 years on them. We were very thankful that they watched them while we were gone.

Landon had been begging me to take him over to play games with Uncle McKinley. Landon loves board games, so going over to McKinley's is amazing to him. We played a new game called Survive and at one point I caught them both pondering their next move. 

Well, back to Rupp Arena for another exhibition game. This time against Eastern Kentucky University. The Wildcats handled them fairly easily. It is always a great night to be in Rupp! 

Probably the worst week for UK athletics in a really long time. First we got beat in Rupp by Evansville, who was unranked and we were the number one team in the country. My section is by the opposing teams family and fans and I usually talk a little smack during the game. On this occasion there was no smack to be talked. We looked lost and weren't playing with any heart or teamwork. It was a crushing blow, but I believe that we will be right in the thick of the hunt when March rolls around. Then later in the week we played a mediocre Tennessee football team at home and lost 13-17. We looked like the better team, we just couldn't convert when it got down to the red zone. We had a chance to win it in the last minute of the game when we had the ball on 3rd down and just needed one yard to score. It was devastating to lose especially when we were so close.

I am a huge advocate for blood donation. When you see first hand how many blood transfusions are needed on a daily basis, then it is the least that I can do to donate. Of course having a competition to beat Tennessee also makes for a good reason to donate! Too bad we couldn't beat them on the football field just like we did in the Big Blue Crush!

We all had an afternoon off and I had promised the kids that we would do something fun when they were off the week before but I had gotten sick with the stomach bug right after coming home from our running trip. I had zero energy and even had to call into work for the first time since I started working at the hospital 10 years ago. So, I made it up to them the next week with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. It also happened to be snowing so we stopped into Dairy Queen because here in Lexington it is BOGO blizzards when it snows. Also, who doesn't want ice cream when it is snowing outside.

Saturday morning the kids and I woke up early and headed over to the kids school for a basketball camp. The school has a men's group called the Morgan Men that supports building relationships and helping dads be involved in their children's lives. This basketball camp was for those men and their children. The instructor was Jared Polsen, a former UK basketball player. I had just heard from some of the other dads and didn't get all the details before hand. I didn't realize that the fathers were actually going to be participating too. I would have worn some actual shoes instead of my sandals.

On Sunday we made the trip down to western Kentucky to visit our new nephew. They had a baby dedication for little Rupp James. The kids were more excited to see Elam, but before long Rupp will be running around with the rest of them.

Leaving the YMCA one night the kids decided to make out their own leaf to say what they were thankful for. Brinley said that she was thankful for her friends and Landon was thankful for his family (even if he spelt it famliy). I am so proud of these two kids and I hope and pray that they always continue to be thankful for friends and family. I know that I am.

The kids and I made it out to see the women's basketball team defeat the Morehead State Eagles. The kids had fun running around for the first half before we headed home with the CATS already holding a pretty large lead.

I have season tickets for the UK men's basketball season, but rarely go as a fan because I am a member of the blue coats. My exception is every year I try to take each kid to a game. It is something that I treasure and hopefully the kids look back and have great memories about coming to the game with their dad. It also gives me a little time to have some one on one time with each kid. Brinley was up first and I took her to dinner of her choice before the game, she picked Texas Roadhouse. I was a little surprised she picked this because I thought she would have picked Taco Bell. I told her that she could really pick anywhere she wanted. She told me that she wanted to pick Texas Roadhouse because she knew it was my favorite. I told her it was ok, but she said she still wanted to go there. After dinner we headed downtown for the game. Brinley talked more than normal about all of her friends at school and all the things that she does with them. She asked me questions about life and even told me some fun facts that she had learned. It was so nice to see her talk about what made her happy. At the game she asked me questions about the basketball team and even learned a few of the players names. She kept calling Nate Sestina, Nate the Great. She met the wildcat, the cheerleaders, held her ears during the opening fireworks, got a blue tongue from her Fanta, and even threw up some 3 goggles. On the way home we even stopped for an ice cream cone. It was an awesome day with my little lady.

A friend offered us tickets to the UK football game against UT-Martin. They didn't want to go because of the weather forecast of rainy and cold. I really wanted the kids to come see a little bit about what I have been volunteering to do for most Saturdays this fall. I told Jennifer to not bring the kids until the game was about to start. I picked them up in my golf cart so that they wouldn't have to walk in the rain. After we got in I got them some hot chocolates because that was a requirement by the kids, or else they wouldn't go to the game. We sat in our seats that were covered for the first half. Brinley actually fell asleep on Jennifer's lap. Landon kept asking me questions about what was happening in the game which made me happy. One half was enough for Jen and the kids. I walked them out through the practice facilities. I was so happy that they were able to come and see the CATS play.

Next up was some father son time. Again I let Landon choose where we went for dinner and he picked Panda Express. Again we headed to the game afterwards. Landon couldn't go though the game without an ice cream cone in the arena. My blue coat friends even hooked Landon and I up after the game and post game conference with some pictures at mid court! Landon didn't really eat very much before the game so we stopped by Goodfellas for a breadstick, which was his second choice for dinner plans. The guy at the restaurant was being nice and told us that it was on the house. Just an awesome way to end the night.

We ended up getting some pretty awesome seats at the game. At one point in the second half the in game announcer, Ravi Moss, a former player came over and asked if he could put my son on the big screen. He sat down beside us and we talked for a bit. Then during the media timeout he introduced Landon on the big screen as the biggest hunk in the building to start the Hunk Cam. Pretty neat. Like I said we stayed for the post game radio show. In the bottom right picture with Tyrese Maxey being interviewed by the SEC network you can see Landon's bottom half of his face. We also met Tom Leech while we waited and heard EJ Montgomery and Coach Kenny Payne. As we were leaving the stadium we also ran into EJ leaving the arena. I asked for a picture with Landon and he was happy to take one with him. The guy is so tall!

The guys on Kentucky Sports Radio recently finished up the yearly food bracket. The winner was very surprisingly Waffle House, most specifically the one on Georgetown Road. I am not sure if I have had Waffle House since I was in college so I decided that I needed to give it another try. It was delicious and literally everyone got a waffle while we were there.

The kids were excited about seeing the movie Frozen 2. The only tickets that we could find were for the 9 pm show after I got out of work. The kids were hyped for the movie and were able to stay awake well after 11 when the movie ended. I however was a different story. I fell asleep and was totally lost when I woke up. Thankfully Jennifer and the kids explained it all on the way home.

While talking with my brother about what his favorite part of Thanksgiving, he said pecan pies that my mother makes. Well, she was already up here and informed him that she didn't make any this year. Well, not to let down my little brother I went out on Thanksgiving eve and got all the ingredients to make the pies. Against my mom's wishes I turned one into a faux Derby Pie. I think they both turned out great.

Since Jennifer had to work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights we decided that the best solution would be to have a Thanksgiving breakfast. I asked everyone for any recommendations and I didn't get many responses. I had recently heard about a monkey bread recipe from my co-worker, Wanda. It is made with frozen yeast rolls that you mix together and then leave out to rise overnight. Well, Wanda told me that one layer of the rolls would be enough, but when I was putting it together the night before one layer didn't seem right. I thought maybe I used different frozen rolls because I didn't think they would rise very much. Boy, was I wrong! The top picture is what I woke up to. You cant even see the bundt pan that the rolls were in. I pulled off some of the top ones and placed them in a different pan to cook. The bottom right is the finished product and it was delicious!

Thanksgiving breakfast! It was so much easier than the traditional turkey. Unfortunately we were missing a group of family members because Andrea, Chris and Olivia were up in New York visiting Chris' family. Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without a game a Rook. The kids also wanted to have a Connect 4 tournament, which I ended up winning. We also discovered that Landon, who typically doesn't like any pie, enjoys pumpkin pie with lots of cool whip!

We also took some time while we were together to have a little fun over at Malibu Jacks. The kids were running around all over the place trying to play every game in the place. Landon and I did get a race on the go-karts against Uncle McKinley and Brinley.

Instead of doing any Black Friday shopping we spent the day at the house relaxing. Landon had told me that he had a loose tooth, so throughout the day we kept giving it a wiggle until the little guy finally came out. Landon was excited to see what the tooth fairy was going to bring him. Apparently he had been keeping a close eye on what Brinley had been getting because he said that she got $10 for the first tooth and $5 each time after that. I ended the night by heading out to work the UK - UAB basketball game.

The last day of the month was a pretty big day in the state of Kentucky. This is one of the two times every year when Kentucky is the most divided, the annual Kentucky - Louisville football game. The CATS did exactly what they were supposed to do and whipped the dirty birds 45-13. This was the last home game and therefore the last time I was working with the recruiting department. It was again a rainy and cold game, but the beat down made it worth standing out in the rain. L's down all around!

Most people know that the month of November is known as No Shave November. However, most people don't realize the true meaning behind not shaving. It was started by men who wanted to raise awareness for male cancers like prostate and testicular cancers. Since I have never made it the whole month without shaving I made it a point to make it this year. I had plenty of people ask me about it and was able to bring it up to many different people. I asked the kids if they like the beard or not and both kids said they wanted me to keep it. Jennifer wasn't as much of a fan. I guess you'll just have to see who won that battle.

November proved to be a very jam packed month. We literally hit the ground running with our 2 half marathons. These two half marathons brought our state total to 10, which means we are 20% done! Then it seems like the majority of the month consisted of sporting events for me. This year has really flown by and I can't believe that 2019 is almost coming to an end. Thanks for reading and God bless!