General Stanley McChrystal in Afghanistan

General Stanley McChrystal in Afghanistan

I have so much respect for General McChrystal and I have no doubt that my awesome brother will be following in his footsteps. Thank you to all of our troops and their leaders who are risking their lives to protect us and our freedom. God Bless you all and Merry Christmas! We sure do miss you Willy, but we know what your purpose is. ;)

Belated Thanksgiving Pics

Between our families, Jeff and I end up having 3 Thanksgiving meals. Ughhh, they are wonderful, but the pants are a little tighter now ;) I cooked a meal on Wednesday for my mom, Jeff, the kids, my brother, sister, and her roommate. We had a fried Turkey (yummy) and I had so much fun cooking in my new kitchen. I love it! Then on Thursday we went to Jeff's dad's house for dinner. Patsy (my mother-in-law) can cook! She makes the best mashed potatoes and gingerbread trifle. Then on Friday after my first ever Black Friday trip we headed down to Mannington to Jeff's mom's house where we ate another turkey dinner. So, here are some pictures of our extended Thanksgiving.

Maybe it wasn't.....

Well this is my first post since the Browns lost in the playoffs. There is nothing more gut wrenching than watching 8/9 year old pad clad, helmet wearing, sweaty boys cry after losing a playoff game. It was horrible. Those poor boys were so sad and disappointed and I have to say so were the coaches. Jeff was depressed for two days afterward. All that work and time makes them very close to the kids. But, we are moving on. Cheerleading and football are over next up gymnastics and basketball. We like to keep ourselves busy. We have about four weeks to rest and rejuvenate before our new sports begin. We have been enjoying the fall. Last night we went to see Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3D, which was awesome and had our own little Thanksgiving meal with my mom. Here are some pictures from our fun evening.

It must have been the mohawk...

Well, the Browns won 27-0 in a muddy battle against the Jefferson County Hurricanes last Sunday. They are headed to the second round of playoffs this weekend against the Jefferson County Spartans. We beat this team in the pouring down rain and spotted them two points. Let me just say I am getting all the loud obnoxious cheering materials I can because their fans are out there. The game is Sunday at 3:30 PM. So, anyway back to the title. Jeff gave AJ a mohawk Sunday before the game and we are pretty sure that had something to do with the win. A bunch of the players were getting them, so Jeff offered AJ and he went for it. I think it is awesome, and so does he! Here we go Browns, here we go! Wish us luck this Sunday. Here are some pictures and the celebration video.

Birthday Bash

Well, the cake turned out quite well I have to say. We had a family get together last night for Halloween and AJ's birthday. Everything went quite well and we had a blast. Here are some pictures of the cake, the bikes, and the bash. Stay tuned for posts after our first football playoff game kicking off in one hour!

Getting ready.....

This is a big weekend in the Brinegar household. We have Jeff and AJ's favorite day of the year--Halloween, AJ's birthday and the first round playoff game for the Browns; all on Sunday! We are having a family get together tomorrow and I am working on AJ's cake tonight. I have never made a cake like this so I am a bit nervous that it won't come out right, but hey it is worth a try. I have been using my Kitchen Aid mixer--the best thing ever---that we, I mean, I got as a wedding gift. Jeff's words were something like, "That is way too much money for something you will never use," well he has eaten his words a few times! HA. I love this thing. So, wish me luck in my Martha Stewart endeavors and stay tuned for pictures of Halloween, the party, the cake, and the Brown's playoff run! Enjoy, Happy Halloween.

What we have been up to....

FALL FUN

Well since my last post a month ago we have had quit a busy month. We traveled to Lancaster, PA for our annual trip the last weekend of September. We stay at the Red Caboose Motel, get the kids' halloween costumes, and enjoy some family time. We had a football game that morning and then headed up for the festivities. Here are some of the pictures of the Skeleton Mummy aka AJ and the Hollywood Starlet aka Madison. Of course my Halloween loving husband has to get in on the fun, here is Jeff with the kids in his freaky pumpkin mask! The kids and I posing.

After all of this Halloween fun, we headed down to Elkins, WV on October 3rd for the Forest Festival with my wonderful mother and father-in-law! We had a blast suprising Mamaw with a framed photo of all her grandchildren. She loved it so much, she cried. Jeff in another of his masks (this one is quite funny ;)






Last weekend was another football game and victory for the EPYFL Browns who have clinched the EPYFL Championship for the second year in a row. They are on the road to be the tri-county champions with games until the beginning of November. Here are some photos of our cheerleader and tight end.

After the game Carrie and Dave came over for the West Virginia game. Then, we decided to head on over to the pumpkin patch for Fall fright night hayride and corn maze. It was a little scarier than we had planned, but very fun. The boys enjoyed the adult corn maze and the House of Panic.
Boy have we been busy.....................

Martinsburg HS football game

This past Friday, Martinsburg High School recognized the EPYFL(Eastern Panhandle Youth Football League) during the half time of the game. It was pretty neat to see that many young athletes out on the field. Everyone was extremely excited even though it was pouring down the rain.

Wedding Quilt

Here is the fabulous quilt Carrie made from the piece that everyone signed at our wedding reception. It looks wonderful and I cannot wait to hang it in our foyer. THANK YOU CARRIE!

Game 3

The Browns season came to a bump in the road as they lost to the Jefferson County Razorbacks yesterday. Although it was a loss, it was a hard fought challenging game. The final score was 13-7. The Razorbacks are a well known team and normally blow their opponents out of the water. SO, for us to hold them at 13 and score was a victory. This game is also out of our EPYFL league so the loss does not stain our record, so in my mind keep it up BROWNS! Our next game is September 15 at Poorhouse Field in Martinsburg. Here are some pics and of course a video of the Maddog cheering.

AJ's warming up routine is to listen to his MP3 player. Cute! He is #60 in the huddle.

Madison is the cheerleader in the front of the pyramid. She loves it! Glitter, glitz, skirts, and people watching you---what more could a girly-girl want?

The Browns season has begun

We had our first football game on Saturday morning. Everyone is involved. Jeff coaches, AJ plays tight end, and Madison is cheering. It is really great to see them so involved and really loving it. Jeff truly enjoys coaching the defense, AJ loves to tackle, and Madison well when make-up skirts, bows, and having people watch you are involved--she is in heaven. She is really quite cute. The Browns won 7-0 for their first victory. Here are a few pics and a video. Stay tuned for more scores, games every weekend and some Tuesday evenings. We are a busy crew!

Thank you for being a friend..

Just a little funny note:

My new favorite show on WE. That is right, The Golden Girls. HILARIOUS. What happened to the warm hearted shows like this and The Cosby Show? Why does everything have to be about controversial topics, sex, drugs, and alcohol? Anyway, thought this would remind a few people out there to get back the oldies, but goodies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTmgL0XQehI

Honeymoon

Jeff and I went on our nine day honeymoon from July 26th to August 4th with our good friends Carrie and Dave, Bill and Candace, and Dave's parents. We had an absolute blast. What a great way to see four fabulous places, eat wonderful food, and enjoy time together for a reasonable price. We left Brooklyn with great views of the Statue of Liberty and cruised down the coast for two days before our first stop in Grand Turk. We all went on a snorkeling excursion while shaking our booties that Jesus gave us on the way out. The water was a pristine turquoise and the coral was bright cobalt blue. Then afterward the shipmates were filling or glasses with Rum Swizzle a.k.a Love potion number 9. Needless to say Carrie, Nancy (Dave's mother), and I were swizzled. Carrie and I turned into the woo girls and it was a blast. After getting back on the ship I slept for a good three hours and it was on to more fun that evening. Our next stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico. We did a little sight seeing, which included the Bacardi Rum Factory and more free rum. One thing about San Juan--feeling hot hot hot. It is a scorcher there. Then we moved on to St. Thomas, the beautiful island of the iguana. We shopped in the neatest part of town filled with little brick alcoves and beautiful jewelry. After that, a short taxi ride to Emerald Beach to swim and drink a little more. Jeff enjoyed the local Blackbeard Ale and we all enjoyed the crystal clear water and magnificent scenery. I would definitely like to visit there again! Our last port of call was Bermuda. We visited Bermuda on a Sunday so the island was basically shut down because no one works on Sunday. We went to beautiful Horseshoe Bay. Lots of great picture taking scenery and beautiful water. After that, it was a day on the ship back to Brooklyn. Extremely depressing being back, but we had a wonderful time. If you have never cruised I definitely recommend it with or without children. There is plenty to keep you busy or not, whatever you choose. Check out our pictures!