and I am very very sad.  Boo Hoo.

The end.

Here are the complete “Purple and Gold” lyrics:

the veil of the sky draws open
the roar of the chariots touch down
we r the ones who have now come again
and walk upon water like solid ground
as we approach the throne we won’t bow down
this time we won’t b denied

raise every voice and let it b known
in the name of the purple and gold

we come in the name of the purple and gold
all of the odds r in r favor
no prediction 2 bold
we r the truth if the truth can b told
long reign the purple and gold

the eyes say ready 4 battle
no need 4 sword in hand
we r all amped up like a rock n roll band
ready 2 celebrate every score
ready 2 fight the elegant war
ready 2 hear the crowd roar

that’s what we came 4
and so much more
in the name of the purple and gold

r spirits may b tired
r bodies may b worn
but since this day is r destiny
r history – that’s y we must b
4ever strong as the wind that blows the Vikings’ horn
in the name of the purple and gold

CHORUS

This past Monday was a very special day at one of the schools I teach at.  Last spring our school was selected by the Timberwolves' Fastbreak Foundation to receive a library makeover.  Over the past few weeks several members of the Timberwolves office staff spent hours and hours at our school, painting the library and putting together the new shelving and then re-stocking the library books on the shelves.   The walls are the blue, green and white of the Timberwolves plus we got giant wall decals with the current Timberwolves players.  Everything looks amazing!

Monday was the big celebration, with the Timberwolves people (along with school district administration) coming out to help us celebrate.  A couple of the Timberwolves players were supposed to be there also but
were running late from that morning's practice.  They finally showed up
after it was over and signed a few autographs.  The organization has promised to bring the
players back when they can come, but with the start of a brand-new
season, it may be awhile before that happens, we'll see.

Crunch, the Timberwolves mascot was also along for the fun and even helped act out the book that was read aloud, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. It was great!! 

After the celebration Crunch insisted he have his picture with me. Too bad I was in the middle of saying something when this photo was taken, I look like a big dorkis.

If you'd like to read the Timberwolves article about the project, read here.

Thank you Minnesota Timberwolves!!!!

A few weeks ago the Minnesota Vikings played the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. This rivalry has always been a BFD, but never more so than now, with ex-packer star Brett Favre playing quarterback for the Vikes!!

In honor of this big game, my brother Jeff decided  to a throw a football party termed "Farvapalooza".  (He loves to name his parties…remember Porkapalooza from last summer?) What a hit both the game and party were! Jeff made 28 lbs of pork shoulder, which he smoked and then pulled to make sandwiches.  Great stuff!  There were around 30 people at the party and every last bite of the pork disappeared before the end of the evening!

One of the coolest new things that Jeff has bought this past summer (and this boy loves toys and gadgets!) is an outdoor movie theater.  Giant Blow-up screen, hi-def mounted projector (removable) and mounted outdoor speakers!  This photo was taken before it got dark out, so you can't see the images on the screen as clearly, but you can see the giant screen itself.

Here is a better view of the screen when it started to get dark out.  Gotta love how the broadcasters always use Madden Football game to do their pre-game predictions, etc!

My dad and his brother Joe also showed up for the football party

You like my new purple hat? I got it in Duluth on my trip to the North Shore, thought it would be good to wear on Viking game days!

And apparently this hat makes me look younger because a few of Jeff's friends (pictured below) mistakenly thought I was Jeff's YOUNGER sister!! That made me feel great because I am actually 4 years older than Jeff! They are now my new best friends! lol.  I thought they were so cute, she is a Vikings fan and he is a Packers fan.  They wore their respective jerseys and also brought along their Vikings/Packers reversible blanket!!

Jeff was jealous of my cool new hat and decided to steal it from me for a minute…. (notice he is wearing Twins gear instead of Vikings??!! The following day was the Twins best game of the year!)  Another classic Jeff pose…..

Jeff's parties are always a good time and the best news is that the Vikings beat the snot out of the Packers to bring them 4-0 and we have won the past two games since.

Vikings are now 6-0 baby!!!

I went to the Timberwolves game today.  I framed this shot so that both the basket and the mural on the floor can be seen together.  From this perspective it looks as though the basket is just a foot off the ground, but they are really several feet apart!

Went down to the Target Center with some friends today and watched the Timberwolves beat the NJ Nets 108-99.  Its been awhile since I've been to a TWolves game…….it was cool but boy do I miss KG!

We also saw construction on the new home of the Minnesota Twins, Target Field.  The Twinkies will open up the 2010 Season at this new outdoor park.  Looks like it will be pretty sweet!

I love Shaq because he is the biggest clown! I wish I could’ve seen this live!! Make sure you watch HD version.

This spoof is pretty good too!