I recently went on a trip with a friend on a trip to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. These are a few snapshots from the trip. The entire album can be found here, here, here, and here.
I went on a fishing trip to Scott Lake Lodge in Saskatchewan, Canada last week with my grandfather and two cousins. We had an awesome time and caught a ton of big fish. Click here for the pictures.
I took these photos in Crested Butte, Colorado this week. Click on each photo to enlarge it.
Filed under: Life
I told you about his ground-rule double the other night. Well, last night he turned an unassisted triple play. Playing left-center field for the Royals in the bottom of the final inning, he caught a fly ball, ran to the infield and tagged a runner heading to second base, then stepped on second, retiring the runner who had run to third. Ballgame.
In a previous inning, he had also made all three outs for the Royals, though in different plays.
During spring break, I spent some time fishing in Bartlesville. On Thursday evening, my grandfather and I bass fished. The wind was blowing extremely hard, so we were confined to the shore, but we were determined to fish. We started slow, not catching anything for the first fifteen minutes. Then, we headed to a deep corner on the pond. After a single cast, I hooked a large fish that weighed about 4 pounds. This continued for most of the evening, until we had caught 13 bass over 4 pounds, and 4 more in the 2-4 pound range.
On Friday evening, we took my little brother Jack Henry with us, and went to another lake to fish for crappie. We were successful again, catching 10 nice fish. They now have a nice home in my freezer.
Click here to see all of the pictures from the fishing trip.
They put up a good fight, but failed again last night. The game was unbelievable though. I went with my dad, brother, and great-uncle. Regulation was filled with highlights, most of them from Blake Griffin (who went to our church as a kid). He had several SportsCenter worthy dunks, including one in which he caught an alley-oop off the glass and slammed it. In overtime, the Sooners came back from being down six pints in the final minute to win 92-91. It was OU’s 28th consecutive win against the Bears. The play of the game was Tony Crocker’s four-point play with 7.3 seconds left that proved to be the game-winning shot. Coach Jeff Capel said it was the loudest he had ever heard it at the Lloyd Noble Center.
The lead changes late in the game made it great. The Sooners lead by 10 at halftime, but were down late in regulation. They game back to take the lead, then Baylor scored at the buzzer to send it to overtime. They proceeded to take a 6 point lead. Then Crocker’s four-point play put the Sooner ahead for good.
OU has since beaten Baylor in overtime many more times in our driveway, thanks to Jack Henry.
Filed under: Life
Jan. 1 – I went with my dad to the game of the century, OU vs. Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. At the time, the loss was heartbreaking, but I am glad to have been at such an amazing football game.
April 16-20 – I took a week-long government course, TeenPact, at the state capitol. I lost in the elections, but learned a lot anyway.
May 25-27 – My friend David and I went fishing at the bayou of Louisiana. The catching wasn’t great, but the fishing and eating was.
August 11, 12 – I attended the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa with my dad and my grandfather., where I got a priceless souvenir, from the trashcan.
August 23 – My family and I spent a day in Dallas at the Gaylord Texan Hotel.
August 29 – I got my braces off.
September 1, 2007 – I attended my 50th consecutive OU home football game, a 79-10 win over North Texas.
September 28-30 – My parents, my grandfather, and I traveled to Boulder, Colorado for the (tragic) OU-Colorado game. Again, it was fun even though we lost.
October 28 – I turned 15.
December 25 – Christmas in Bartlesville with grandparents.
In between these dates has been much school, sports, and playing with my brother Jack Henry. Happy New Year.
Went to the OU-Colorado game in Boulder yesterday with my parents and my grandfather. OU got upset 27-24, but I’m going to keep this post as positive as possible.The trip was awesome. We stayed in the team hotel, and on Friday night many Sooners were walking around the lobby. We got photos with many of them.
Me and WR Juaquin Iglesias
Several players and coaches and me in the elevator
6-8 352 pound OL Phil Loadholt with my mom and me
QB Sam Bradford and me
Our seats were right behind the Sooner bench, where we took some more pictures.
Bradford warming up on the sideline
Overall, the trip was great. After the game, we went back the hotel to recover, then drove through the scenic mountains to Estes Park. I got some good shots of the mountains like this one:
OU can still beat struggling Texas next week and go on to win the Big XII, which would automatically put us in a BCS Bowl. Last season’s National Champion, Florida, was a one-loss team. It is unlikely that OU will make it, but in college football, you never know.
Before ball games, former OU head coach Barry Switzer would say, “Let’s hang half-a-hundred on ‘em.” (They usually did.) This evening, I’ll be the one hangin’ half-a-hundred. Games, that is. That’s right; tonight’s game against North Texas will be my 50th consecutive home OU football game, which is the entire Bob Stoops era. OU’s home record in the Stoops era is 47-2. I’ve seen some memorable games at Owen Field.
My first game of the streak (I’ve been to more before Stoops, but not all in row) was September 11, 1999, when I was six years old. The opponent was Indiana State, and I remember wondering why their nickname was a tree. Stoops’ first game was a 49-0 victory, and the fans were pleased, especially after several losing seasons in previous years. OU finished that season with a respectable 7-5 record, and made their first bowl game in a number of years. It was the beginning of a great era.
Moving on to October 28, 2000, game number 10. That day’s opponent was Nebraska. It was my birthday, and we were playing the number one team in the nation. My cousin and grandfather were there, and I was as exited as I’ve ever been. We had beaten Texas 63-14 (I was there) earlier that month, as well as second-ranked Kansas State at their place. The hype leading up to this game was incredible. Kickoff was at 2 p.m., so we arrived in Norman at about 11:30 or noon. I remember pulling into our parking spot in Norman, when I suddenly remembered, “Hey it’s my birthday.” That gives you an idea of how excited I was about the game. A kid on his eighth birthday, and he doesn’t even remember till noon! The stadium was as loud as I’ve ever heard it, even to this day after thousands of seats have been added. We fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, and then dominated them for the next three. Final score: OU 31, Nebraska 14. The goalposts went down with Nebraska, as OU rose to the top of the national rankings. They also landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which I have framed in my room. It was a great day. OU won the national championship that year, with a 13-2 win over Florida State.
I could go on and on about the games I have been to, like wins over Alabama, Oklahoma State, and many others. I’ve seen 77-0 blowouts and double-overtime nail-biters. I’ve sweated through triple digit temperatures, and practically waded in the streets on the way back to the car. I am always hoarse after the games, and sometimes for a few days after. My grandfather has been with me to almost every game, and my dad has been to every game except two with me. I know I am blessed, and am grateful for the opportunity to go to all of these games, which I know very few people have.
I know I’ll have fun tonight when I hang half-a-hundred.
This past week has been jammed with excitement. We were in Bartlesville from Saturday to Wednesday, then in Dallas Thursday and today, Friday. Bartlesville was a fun trip to go on before school started, and Dallas was a total surprise; I found out we were going Wednesday night. We stayed for a night in this hotel. Here are some pics from this past week.
Above is my brother Jack Henry running on the hay bales at my grandparents’ ranch.
Here is Jack Henry shooting hoops at the gym on the ranch.
This is my sisters and me in the pool at the hotel.
Nothing better than all-you-can-eat buffets. My breakfast is an example.
This picture of my siblings and me was taken in a huge atrium in the hotel. You can see the rooms and a resturaunt in the background.
Filed under: Life
Went to the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa Saturday today, and had a great time. I was with my grandfather on Saturday, and my dad today. Although the heat was dreadful (the average temperature was 102 degrees), we drank plenty of water and stayed in the shade. (If you’re wondering why there’s a picture of me holding a banana peel, I’ll get to that in a minute.)
We arrived at the golf course at around 7:30 Saturday morning, and stayed until about 4:00. Some of the shots we saw were amazing. Sergio Garcia chipped in from the sand, and the length of some of the drives were incredible. When Tiger Woods finished the eight hole, he walked across a path to the next tee box. The path was roped off, but I was right behind the rope. I could literally see the individual beads of sweat on his face.
On Sunday, we arrived at noon. We walked around watching various players, stopping at several places as they came through. After we saw Woods tee off on the second hole, we headed to a spot were you can see the ninth and eighteenth greens, and the tenth tee. It was a great place to be, as there was constant action. We watched the groups come in at nine, then go back out on ten, as well as players finishing.
When Tiger was at the tenth tee, he ate a banana after his drive. He finished it, then threw the peel a trashcan. Instantly, my dad and I thought one thing: souvenir. After he had left, I went over to the trashcan, which also happened to be behind ropes, and asked the volunteer marshall if I could get something out of the trashcan. “Tiger’s banana, right?”, he said with a smile. I said yes, and he told me I could have it. So, I dug it out, and got a piece of golf history. Tiger was the eventual winner, and I was there by the eighteenth green to watch his final putt.
If anyone happens to know how to preserve a banana peel, please comment fast!
