Vaca Part Two: Dallas, TX

Day 2: OSU v SMU Soccer
After we checked out of the hotel last Friday we headed to stay with Brien's best friend, Clint Dunbar. He has a great apartment in Plano - so nice to be able to stay with him now. We completely took over his place, which is right in the middle of a lively area of town with plenty to do. We stayed out of his hair while he worked until it was time to head out to tailgate before the SMU - OSU soccer game. OSU beat SMU 2-1. It was a lackluster performance by the Cowgirls, but we still walked away with the win, and it's always fun to watch Kristen in action.

Day 3:
OU Football at Tim's & Andrea's
Saturday we stopped by the home of Brien's Uncle Tim and his Aunt Andrea to watch the OU football game and eat the best brisket lunch ever. I need to take notes next time since I don't know the first thing about cooking meat, and they clearly do. Kenzie and Connor loved playing with cousins Kaitlyn and Dillon and Brendan too, who didn't make it in this picture. Any time dress up clothes are involved, Kenzie will be having fun. Love their fruit punch faces in this picture.


The Shops at Legacy
That night we headed back to the apartment and went out for a patio dinner at the Shops at Legacy. Very hot and humid outside, but still an enjoyable way to spend our evening.

Stopped for ice cream before the girls turned in with the kiddos, and the boys went out for a fun time at Sam Buca.


Day 4: OSU v TCU Soccer
On Sunday we headed to Fort Worth to catch the OSU TCU soccer game. Brien's cousin, Jackie Torda, plays for the Horned Frogs, so we had a big family tailgate hosted by Brien's Aunt Fran and Uncle Jay with tons of great food, drinks and family on hand. Jackie is a senior this year, and since this game would be the only time the two girls would face each other, family attendance was in full effect.

Mama Joe wore purple and orange scarves to support both teams. Brien's Uncle Jim and cousin Nathan flew in from Kansas, and Aunt Cathy and cousin Ashley drove from Sulphur. Brien's Mom and sister, Katy, also came to support the girls, as well as cousin Carrie, her husband Michael and baby Will (not pictured) on his dad's side. The Cowgirls won once again - Yay!

Bought these "eye black" stickers at Chris' University Spirit in Stillwater for $2.99 (4 in a package) for the kids' faces - a perfect substitute for paint to show school spirit with no mess! The tricky part is getting the kids to keep them on since they want to stick them on everything. Kenzie's was long gone by the end of the game. They also come in black.

After the game we packed up and made our way to Sulphur, OK with Brien's mom this time to experience some country living on Aunt Cathy's and Uncle Chris' dairy farm - such a fun experience I'll go into in my next post.

An Eventful Saturday for Kristen

Brien's sister, Kristen (sibling #7), is starting school at OSU this fall on a soccer scholarship (among several academic scholarships - this girl is smart). Brien's brother, Tommy (#6) is already at OSU and will be starting his junior year this fall. All the Kelleys are serious OU fans, but now they are all wearing orange to support Kristen, and I love it! Go Pokes!

(Some family background: Brien is the oldest of 8, and all but one (by choice) so far have played a sport in college. Brien played baseball at St. Gregory's; Sean (#2) at Rockhurst; Katy (#3) basketball at Northeastern; Kimmo (#4) volleyball at St. Gregory's; and Timmy (#5) is a starting pitcher at Wichita State. I can't wait to see where Claire (#8) goes. She's a sophomore in high school and great at soccer and volleyball. Time will tell if Kenzie, Connor or Cooper won the athletic gene pool lottery since they clearly won't be getting much help from me.)

Toward the end of the summer Kristen decided to go through formal fall recruitment (rush) at OSU after getting permission from her coach, and I am so glad she did. Rush was last week while her team was doing four-a-days, so she had to go to abbreviated parties between practices, and needless to say, the process was exhausting. Rush alone is exhausting.

Friday was the final party day. She went to Pi Phi, Gamma Phi, and Chi Omega. I was already going to be in Stillwater for Kendra Rider's baby shower on Saturday, so I couldn't miss Kristen's bid day. She was so tight lipped all week while she was trying to decide, adding to the suspense. Kristen started Saturday off with a morning practice before heading over to Library Lawn. I hoped she would choose Chi-O because I knew she would love it and thought it would be so fun to share that experience with her. So, of course I was overjoyed to hear her decision and relive the excitement of bid day.


Kristen with her Bid Day Buddy, Jordan - Super cute sign she made


Pledge class pic - couldn't fit everyone in


Twisted Kristen's arm to take this one with me


310 S. Monroe

Kristen's bid day wrapped up early because she had to leave for a late team lunch and then head to Tulsa for her first soccer scrimmage as an OSU Cowgirl. The girls played ORU, and Kristen was included in the starting line up - Yay! (Kristen was an All American soccer player and tore her ACL last year in basketball and had to sit out the entire soccer season her senior year. She has been working nonstop to rehabilitate her knee post surgery, so the fact that she started was a great sign that her coaches are confident that she's progressing along.)

Starting line up for scrimmage: Kristen is #12. The knee brace makes her easy to spot.


Kristen with Maddy, daughter of her high school soccer coach, and Kenz


Even Cooper couldn't miss Kristen's first outing. You can see Mr. and Mrs. Kelley and cousin Owen in the background.

This upcoming Friday the Cowgirls face OU in Stillwater, which will be a fun match up to watch since it's Bedlam and a few girls from Kristen's club team signed with OU. We'll be making frequent trips to Stillwater over the next four years, with some stops at the Chi-O house, which will be sure to make an impression on Kenzie (another future Chi-O, I hope). Kristen has such a bright future ahead with so much to look forward to, and we couldn't be more proud.