Number 1 in the Nation

As of this morning, the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves are ranked as the number 1 Division II football team in the country!  They finished their regular season this past Saturday with another victory which gave them an overall record of 11-0...UNDEFEATED!!...and won them the title of 2011 RMAC Champions!!

It's hard to express exactly how I feel.  This season has been such a whirlwind.  It's been so fun to sit in the stands each Saturday and cheer for the players and coaches who have all worked so hard to make this dream of theirs come true.  And yet, on some level, I think I knew from the start of the season that we would be here at the end.  

I'm so proud of Paul and all that he has accomplished with his team.  I'm incredibly happy for him; that he gets to experience something so special.  I may be biased, but I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.  And I feel blessed to be the one who has had the privilege of standing beside him throughout it.  I'm thankful for our family who have traveled for games, cheered us on, supported us, followed our progress throughout the season, and taken such an interest in 'Pack' football.  But most of all, I can't stop thinking about how God had a plan for us when he sent us to Pueblo, and although it was hard for me to see what it was at the time, I know now.  He is truly amazing.

Coach Wristen, the head coach of the team, said something to me after the game that really stuck with me.  He told me to enjoy this moment because it's such a rare and special thing to have an undefeated season, and as a coach/coach's wife, you may never get one again.

So that's what I'm doing~soaking it all in and enjoying the moment.  Playoffs will start soon and I can't wait to see what else the Thunderwolves can accomplish!

I'll leave you with a few pics from Saturday's RMAC Championship game...

final score

the RMAC championship plaque

coach wristen giving a celebratory speech

paul with one of his defensive linemen

the dads with their sideline passes

2011 Schedule

I've had a lot of people ask me for CSU-P's game schedule for the rest of the year, so I thought I would post it here.

Thursday 9/1 @ West Texas A&M ~ WIN

Saturday 9/10 Northwestern Oklahoma State @home ~ WIN

Saturday 9/17 @Adams State ~ WIN

Saturday 9/24 Fort Lewis @ home ~ WIN

Saturday 10/1 @ Chadron State ~ 1:30 PM

Thursday 10/6 Colorado School of Mines @ home ~ 6:00 PM

Saturday 10/15 @ Nebraska-Kearney ~ 12:00 PM

Saturday 10/22 Colorado Mesa @ home ~ 6:00 PM

Saturday 10/29 @ New Mexico Highlands ~ 6:00 PM

Saturday 11/5 Western State @ home ~ 2:00 PM

Saturday 11/12 Western New Mexico @ home ~ 2:00 PM

GO PACK!!!

Bullet Points

I've been a bad blogger lately.  BAD!  So I thought I would catch you all up on what's been going on in our life...with bullet points.  Yay!

• Pueblo is finally starting to feel like home.  We've been here for almost 4 months and I'm just now able to find my way around town without getting lost (ok, I still get lost sometimes, but I'm getting a lot better!).  We're completely unpacked and settled in our townhome, we've found two churches that we like, and we're starting to make a few friends.  Making new friends is hard.  Bleh.

• I really miss our friends in Boulder (see above), especially now that the season has started.  It was so nice having a group of gals whose husbands worked the same crazy schedule as Paul and who I could count on for a fun night of dinner, drinks, and girl-talk when all of our husbands were working late or out of town on a Friday night.

• I am currently sitting alone on my couch with a case of Bud Light on a Friday night while my husband is recruiting at a high school football game.  Boo.  At least I have some time to blog now!

• Paul's football team is 3-0 so far this season woohoo!  I've been having so much fun cheering them on the past few weeks.  They really are a talented team.  Tomorrow is our homecoming game against Fort Lewis.  The three games after that will probably be the toughest of the season.  I'm crossing my fingers for some big wins.  Go Pack!

• I got a new job!!!  I'm so excited about this, in case you couldn't tell from the triple exclamation marks.  I'm teaching preschool at a low-income elementary school in town.  It's the first job I've had in a long time where I feel like I'm actually doing something.  I just finished up my second week and I LOVE IT.  The kids keep me on my toes, but they are so much fun and they are just the cutest!

• I went to Austin, TX over Labor Day for my sister's bachelorette party (that trip deserves it's own post).  We had so much fun and were SO sad to leave.  I hadn't seen my sister in six months before that trip and I decided that is simply too long to go without seeing her.  I miss her so much already!  Good thing I'll be seeing her in a little over a month for her WEDDING!!!  I'm so excited I can hardly see straight.  Until then, I'll be dedicating all of my spare time to trying to figure out how to make boutonnieres. 

• I lost my iphone in Austin.  little purse+slippery phone+lots of drinks=recipe for disaster.  And I hadn't backed it up to my computer in well over a year.  So, not only did I lose my phone, but I lost all of my contacts, music, pictures, calendar...you know, my whole life.  Isn't it funny how much we rely on a little piece of technology?  I feel like I still haven't recovered.

Well, that's about all that's going on around here.  What's new with you?

Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

These enchiladas are the BEST!  My sister made them for me and Paul the first time she came to visit us in Auburn and I absolutely fell in love.  Since then, it has become my go-to dish to make when we have company.  The recipe comes from a cookbook called Colorado Collage which is from the Junior League of Denver.

Chicken Enchiladas Suizas
(8 servings)


6       boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1.5 lbs total)
1       tablespoon butter
1       cup chopped onion
1       green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1       red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
8       ounces grated cheddar cheese
1       4-ounce can diced green chiles
1       cup purchased green chile salsa
1/2    cup chopped fresh cilantro
4       teaspoons cumin
2-3    canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce ( I usually don't put these in because I don't like the flavor)
         salt and freshly ground black pepper
12-15   7-inch flour tortillas 
10     ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1       cup whipping cream
1/2    cup chicken broth
         Garnish: 

         chopped avocado
         chopped tomato
         chopped fresh cilantro


Place chicken in pan of rapidly boiling water to cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain, cool, and shred chicken.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook onion and bell peppers until just soft, 5-8 minutes.  Transfer to large bowl.  Add chicken, cheddar cheese, green chiles, salsa, cilantro, cumin, and chipotle chiles, if desired.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.


Grease 10x15x2-inch baking pan or 2 smaller pans.  Place one flour tortilla on flat surface and place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture along 1 edge.  Roll up from filling side, and place, seam side down, in prepared pan.  Repeat process with remaining chicken mixture.  Sprinkle Monterey Jack over enchiladas.  (May be prepared to this point up to 1 day in advance.  Cover and chill.)


Combine cream and chicken broth and pour over enchiladas.  Cover pan with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Place 1 or 2 enchiladas on individual serving plates and garnish with avocado, tomato, and additional cilantro, if desired.


Enjoy!

Feeding the Team

Last week we had Paul's players over for dinner.  When discussing what to serve, Paul requested that I make Chicken Enchiladas Suizas.  I happily obliged, as I've made these enchiladas for guests in the past and they're always a hit.

But then I started thinking about how many enchiladas I would need to make.  We had 20 people coming over, so I figured 2 enchiladas per person.  That would be 40 enchiladas total.  That's a lot of enchiladas.  Or, at least I thought that was a lot, until Paul reminded me that these were not normal people coming over for dinner, they're college football players.  College football players who rarely get home-cooked meals and who would be coming straight from a long day of practice.  He suggested that I plan for 4 per person.  I quickly did the math...

20x4=

80


Um, 80?   yikes!

I was terrified a little nervous.  I mean, I consider myself to be a fairly good cook, but making that much food is just intimidating.  Especially since I only have one oven.  But, I am happy to report that after 2 straight days of cooking, the whole dinner went off without a hitch!

Here's the full menu:

Chicken Enchiladas Suizas
Green Salad with Beans, Corn, Tortilla Strips and Spicy Ranch Dressing
Tortilla Chips with Salsa, Guacamole and Queso
Monster Cookies

Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of pictures because I was too busy running around, but here are a few that I did snap...

At exactly 7:30 pm, a herd of defensive linemen busted through my front door and headed straight for the kitchen.  Thank heavens the food was ready or we would have been in a world of trouble!

I had so much fun meeting all of these guys!  I've been hearing about them for 6 months now, so it was nice to finally put faces with names.  They were all so polite and sweet.  One guy even told me that I needed to stop by the school and teach the people that work in the cafeteria how to cook :)  Love!

These guys really are Paul's world right now.  He spends so much time with them and sincerely cares about each and every guy.  It made me happy to see what a great group of guys he's working with!  I can't wait to cheer them on this season :)

Happy First Day of Football!

Fall practice camp started for the Thunderwolves today, which means football season has officially arrived.  I celebrated the occasion by bringing these red and blue treats to Paul's office this evening :)

As I've mentioned before, this time of year is always a little bittersweet for me.  While I love football season, it also signals the end of summer which makes me sad. 

This year will be interesting because we're at a new school in a new town and I can't wait to see what game day is like down here.  It will definitely be different as this is Paul's first year coaching at the Division II level rather than Division I.  I think one of the biggest challenges for me will be getting used to the fact that there is no instant replay during the games haha!  Oh man, I'm really gonna have to pay close attention.  I'll have to limit myself to three beers before games instead of my usual four.

I can tell you that I've been to games all over the country, from the SEC to the Big 12, high school to NFL, and everything in between, and one thing I know for sure is if it involves football, it's a good time!

This year I'm looking forward to...

* Watching my first game in the Thunderbowl.  It's a red-out and they're going to have fireworks.  I LOVE fireworks.

* Tailgating-always a favorite of mine.

* Cooking dinner for the D-line and really getting to know all of Paul's players.

* Watching College Game Day on Saturday mornings.  There's really nothing better.

* Friends and family coming to visit on home game weekends.

* Traveling to some road games.

* Hopefully winning the RMAC.

Tell me, what are you looking forward to this football season?  Do you have a go-to tailgating recipe?  Where do you like to shop for game day attire?

Table Rock Lake

A few weeks ago, Paul and I went to visit his parents in southern Missouri.  They live on Table Rock Lake which, for those who don't know, is one of my very favorite places. 

Table Rock is so special to us: it's where Paul's parents went on their honeymoon (camping-love that), where Paul vacationed with his family every summer growing up, where we spent our first vacation together with our families (we were 18), and where we've made countless memories with family and friends. 



my first trip to Table Rock ~ 2002



And when Paul's parents retired a few years ago, they moved down there full time, which means we can visit any time we want.  Yay!

This year we road tripped it down there for Memorial Day.  It's a 12 hour drive which might seem long to some, but we don't mind.  Especially if it means Oscar can come along :)

The first night we were there, Bob and Mary had everyone over for a cookout.  Paul's aunt, uncle, and cousins were in town for the weekend too and it was so fun to see them.

This is the view from Bob and Mary's deck.  It's so peaceful.

The next day we went out on the boat all day but I didn't take any pictures.  boo.

But take a look at this picture...

On New Year's Eve this year,  Bob and Mary's neighborhood was hit by a tornado.  Luckily it didn't do any damage to their house, but it completely destroyed their dock and did a lot of damage to their boats.  This is actually a picture of their neighbor's dock.  Crazy huh?

On Memorial Day we took the fishing boat out to see if we could catch anything.  Unfortunately, the fish weren't biting.  Paul caught one, but he was the only one.

That night we boated over to Big Cedar Lodge for dinner.  It's one of our favorite spots on the lake.

For our last day, we decided to canoe the Buffalo River.  I've only done this twice before, but it's always so much fun.



Bob & Mary

 

Paul does most of the rowing hehe

 

swimming across the river





And then I saw this...two snakes (I think they're Water Moccasins) nose to nose in the water.  Eeekk!!  I get the chills every time I look at this.



Toward the end of the trip, Paul and I were talking about how awesome we were because we hadn't tipped our canoe once.  Well, we spoke too soon because about 5 minutes later, we hit a rock, tipped the canoe, and were swimming downstream haha.

The next day we had to head home.  We had such a great time, as always, but it's never long enough.  Luckily we're going back later this summer!  I already can't wait.