This was the day, NC State was battling Texas A&M in the 2018 Gator Bowl. We were in Jacksonville ready for the game and ready to ring in the new year. We had lunch at Jax Beach before the game and enjoyed more Florida sunshine.
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The Christmas spirit is alive and well in Spencer, North Carolina. Our family decided to kick off the holiday season with a day trip to the N.C. Transportation Museum and take a ride on The Polar Express™. It was a magical time that the kids enjoyed (and the adult kids may have enjoyed more). Let’s reflect on a great 2018 Thanksgiving Day weekend that involved a Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving lunch, Carolina Hurricanes hockey, NC State at UNC Chapel Hill football, and more. Continue reading
For anyone new moving to the Triangle, one of the first things you’ll hear is that you need to pick a team. Whether your fancy is football, basketball, baseball, or some other college sport, fans in the Triangle almost require you to pledge your allegiance to either NC State, Duke, or Carolina. I graduated from State, so my allegiance comes with an earned degree. And I’ll be the first to tell you that the tailgate scene at an NC State football game is one-of-a-kind. Continue reading
On the weekend of November 2-3, the family enjoyed a trifecta of NC States sports. We started out with football game against rival UNC Chapel Hill. Then we headed over to the PNC Arena for an exhibition game the basketball team was playing. Finally, on Sunday, it was a trip out to the ballpark.
It was a beautiful fall Saturday with a chilly morning and a 12:30 kickoff time. Michaela and David Huff joined us for the game. Jim also joined the family. The tailgate scene was off the chains with Carolina in town. There’s something about the tailgate that draws you in. The sights, the smells, the anticipation. Whatever that is, it was in the air at Carter Finley stadium this past weekend. Continue reading
Our Thanksgiving break started off hectic—is there any other way? For me, it started off on a chilly morning running the hills of Wakefield (North Raleigh). I was running the Skinny Turkey half marathon. It was my third half marathon of November after running the City of Oaks and the Outer Banks.
The race started at 7:30 am and it was a 30 minute drive from the house to Wakefield High School, where the race started and finished. I was awake early, around 6:00 am, leaving the house by 6:45 am. I decided to run in long sleeves because it was below 40° and a bit breezy. The course was hilly but manageable. I was expecting a decent time and was happy with the 1 hour 44 minute and 14 second finish. Continue reading
December was a fun month for my camera. We traveled to New York to visit family and go to a NY Giants football game. We had a great day in Midtown exploring The Rockefeller Center, Time Square, and much more.
Snow in Raleigh
Then the holidays managed to Continue reading
Next week, I’ll be in Orlando, Florida attending the Champs Sport Bowl. The game will be between the NC State Wolfpack and the West Virginia Mountaineers. If you saw the headlines from ESPN today, you noticed that WVU’s top cornerback, Brandon Hogan, is out with a torn ACL.
NC State Christmas
But I want to get one small request in before Santa visits this Saturday. Continue reading
Last weekend, we enjoyed the Washington Redskins at New York Giants football game in New Meadowlands Stadium (December 5, 2010). It was cold, mid 30’s with a wind chill in the high 20’s. But that didn’t stop us from having a blast seeing the Giants dominate the Redskins.
Merri Beth and Jason ready to watch the New York Giants play
This is my Dear Coach O’Brien letter for the NC State game against Maryland. Can the Wolfpack finally break the “ranked” curse?
When the season started out at 4-0, the Wolfpack nation was reminicsing about the years when Philip Rivers was at the helm. Then, Virginia Tech came to town. The football team was nationally ranked at No. 23 and an 11 point loss later, NC State was faced with a home game against Boston College and fell from the rankings.
I was weary about the team being ranked before the Virgina Tech game. It seems that in years past, the same thing would happen. The Wolfpack would crack the top 25, then lose the next game. In fact, if I had time, I would research the topic a bit more. For this post, I’m focused on the 2010 season.
Make Noise
A new tradition is starting at Carter-Finley Stadium. Are you a part of it? After each Wolfpack first down, the announcer says, “And that’s another Wolfpack…” “…First Down!” the crowd responds. Several sections around the stadium then add something else. Let’s take a look: