A Magnone Family Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone! It's only 2pm on the east coast and I have already eaten so much I think I'm gonna be sick...and we have at least one more round to go for dinner. Everything is so good - I just can't say no! Went to church last night for Christmas Eve services and it was very nice. I miss the Christmas Eve candlelight service at First Baptist but it was nice to start a new tradition with a new part of my family. And today we have unwrapped lots and lots of presents after Mr. and Mrs. Magnone cooked us pancakes and eggs this morning - it was great. I hope everyone knows how thankful I am for you all being a part of my life...and the person I'm most thankful for this year is my soon to be husband - I can't wait to marry him and love him forever and ever!

Have a wonderful holiday and don't forget to be thankful to the one who was born on this very special day! Enjoy the pics...and don't forget to watch the Cowboys tonight!

Bama Boys in Town

Two of my what...five friends that I had while in Auburn came down to visit this past weekend and we had a blast! They actually drove down on Friday - made the trip in like 9.5 hours - crazy guys. Anyway, Nathan and Jay, fellow ISPers and Auburn Network peeps made the long journey from Auburn, Alabama to the big city of Houston, Texas. We went out to Chuy's for mexican food on Friday night and then did some shopping on Saturday. Saturday night was Marc's CC party so they entertained themselves at the Go Kart place over in the Galleria area... Hilarious pictures - crack me up! Then Sunday, we headed to see the Texans for Jay's first ever NFL football game. It was an especially hard Texans loss for me as I had to witness thousands of Longhorn fans routing on Vince Young (now a Tennessee Titan) as he made the game winning touchdown in overtime - YUCK...kinda made me want to throw up. We had a great time - thanks for coming down guys! Look forward to hangin' in January!

Wedding Update and a Clear Channel Christmas...

So I have very VERY exciting news - I bought my wedding dress on Friday! For anyone out there in the wedding gown market, Brickhouse Bridal is the place to go. Erika and Cara told me all about this place but I just kept thinking - It's in the Woods, so far away...I'll try a few close to home first. I should have listened to the experts - this place is huge and has so much of a selection...it is great! I'd tried on several dresses but hadn't found "the one" as of Friday, but when I started the trying on process for the 3rd time in a row, I finally found IT! I looked in the mirror and thought to myself...WOW - this is THE dress! I'd love to post pictures and show you how pretty it is but we wouldn't want the groom to see sooo...you'll just have to wait! In other wedding news, we hope to have a reception place reserved by the time we head to Florida for Christmas Holidays. I'll keep ya posted on how that's going once we get something decided on.

Next - the annual Clear Channel Christmas party was a hit again this year. Saturday night we got all "dolled up" and ventured over to Paraiso Maravilla (check out picture), a beautiful place over off of Chimney Rock. Awesome job done by Angie and Sylvia on planning, as usual. A great time was had by all. Here's a pic of me and Deb...I'm sure I'll have more pics to come later on...

Marc's Birthday

For Marc's big day this year, he told me all he wanted was to be able to invite a few friends out to play basketball at Hoffheinz Pavillion, the basketball coliseum for UH Cougar basketball. So, this past Saturday, we tried to recreate (but came up just a little short...) the days of Phi Slama Jama at Hoffheinz. Marc and the guys had a blast although I thought by the end of it all, we were going to have to carry each of them out of there on stretchers. Apparently running up and down the basketball court for two hours isn't the easiest thing to do in our old age - regardless, it was a blast and just what he wanted for his birthday. Hope you had fun - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!

Conference USA Champions BABY!

The UH Coogs did something this past weekend that has never been done - they drew a crowd of 32,000 to Robertson Stadium in Houston and then accomplished something that hasn't been done in over 10 years - won the Conference USA title! They are now heading to the Liberty Bowl (December 29th) in Memphis, Tennessee (Beale Street, here we come!) to play an SEC powerhouse, the South Carolina Gamecocks. This promises to be a great game and on the chance that the Cougars blow the Gamecocks away, a little national recognition of a program on the up-and-up will be awesome to receive. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure - they don't do justice to just how much fun it was to watch the Coogs win...but they'll give you a little taste of the victory achieved last Friday night! GO COOGS!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

All through my house! Here are some pics of our decorations - we've had them up for a week and I love coming home to them...this is definitely my favorite time of year. Everyone enjoy!

Conference USA Reception

Last night we all had the pleasure (or require ment) of attend ing the Conference USA Champion ship pre-game reception and I have to admit, it was lots of fun! Great food and a beautiful set up at the Hilton Americas in Downtown Houston. I got to hang out with all the UH girls and have a glass of wine to kick back and relax after what has been a crazy week for everyone here at the UH Athletic Dept and ISP. We are looking forward to the game tonight - hopefully MANY of you reading this will make it out as it promises to be a very entertaining evening. I'm sure I'll have some fun pics to share with you later on as well from all the festivities going on out here. As for the pictures, the one above is of me, April and Derek - we're his Red Room girls...that's a funny story I'll be happy to share later on. Derek handles all the facilities here at UH - he's superman, seriously! Also there's a pic of the UH-ISP staff with our fearless leader, Mr. Dan Barrett who made a special appearance in town from Winston-Salem for the big game. And last, but certainly not least are all the UH girls - Sarah, Carlee, me and April. Good times - lots more to come! GO COOGS!