Not The Weekend I Hoped For

Wow! I really don't even know where to start with this post. I'm having a hard time getting over the huge Spartan loss on Saturday. How is it that a beautiful fall day that started out with sunshine, ended up being so gray and gloomy and it didn't even rain? I'll tell you... we Spartan fans headed into Spartan Stadium South with the same atmosphere as most of the past six wins there. The sun was shining, the fans were excited, the team was pumped, and the band was playing! Then the clouds rolled in and the thunder shook down from the sky and in a matter of three and a half hours, our hopes and dreams of another win in South Bend were over, crushed, finished, destroyed, kaput, not by the weather, but by the Notre Dame football team! It's definitely not the weekend I hoped for when we headed to Michiana, and speaking as a die hard Spartan football fan, it's going to take awhile to get over this one.

The Spartans didn't have a great start, but by half time they were up by one and our hopes were still alive. Then after four quarters of play and three minutes left, down by three, the Spartans moved the ball down the field. It was like some of the past wins at Notre Dame Stadium, and a come from behind win in the last seconds of the game was about to happen again! That's when the thunder shook down on the Spartans and after an interception, it just wasn't meant to be. No win for the Spartans, another loss in the books, and our six year winning streak in South Bend was over. I suppose when your teams travels with just the offense that's what the outcome is. MSU's defense was horrible, there were too many mistakes, and the offense just couldn't pull off a win by themselves. We need a full team to play in order to win so let's hope next week the whole team shows up for the game! I have to think it was time to be courteous and give the Irish back there Stadium. After all, it was beginning to look like the Spartans owned Notre Dame Stadium since they've won the past six times there. So as I try to move on from this horrible Spartan loss, I can only hope that things get better for the Spartans as the Big Ten season starts on Saturday. I'm trying to stay positive that my hopes for a great football season are not diminished yet, and we start to get some "W's" instead of more "L's."

The good news is that Greg and I got to enjoy some kid free time on Saturday at the game while the kids stayed with my sister and Kaite. Evan got to see his friend Mayci who lives next door to my sister. He was pretty excited about that, and he got to play the drums again at her house so that made his day! Em got to get spoiled by her Aunt Jen and cousin Kaite so she was happy. The kids got to go visit Nana while we were at the game too. Plus on Sunday before we headed home, we got a delicious brunch that my Step-Mom made. She made a Blueberry Stuffed French Toast that I've never had before, and it was yummy! I'm posting the recipe below because I think some of you may find it handy sometime. It's perfect for a brunch if you're having people over, or just for a weekend breakfast for the fam!

I'm going to leave you with a couple pictures from the game Saturday. I took some good pictures to share with you, but then after we walked out of there in low spirits, I lost the joy in sharing them. So instead, I'm posting a couple pictures of the Spartan Marching Band. I love to watch the band (It must be because of my high school days when I was a former band geek). They never seem to disappoint, unlike the football team!

This is what the drum major does at the beginning of every pregame show. I think it's quite impressive so that's why I'm posting it!

This is the band playing the oh so wonderful Michigan State Fight Song in the symbolic "S" formation!

Blueberry Cream French Toast

1 loaf Texas toast- cut into cubes (you can use a multi grain bread if you prefer & works fine)

1 8-ounce package cream cheese slightly softened

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries tossed lightly w/flour

Cinnamon

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cups maple syrup

6 tablespoons butter-melted

Coat a 13-9 -2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray

Layer one half of bread cubes in baking dish

Cut cream cheese into cubes and scatter over bread.

Layer blueberries over cream cheese and cover blueberries w/remaining bread

Sprinkle generously w/cinnamon

Mix remaining ingredients and pour over bread, press bread w/spatula to help soak up mixture

Cover and refrigerate over night

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, serves 8

Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired/ serve with maple syrup if desired

* You can substitute other fruits such as peaches or strawberries or a combo or blueberries and strawberries. (We had blueberries and strawberries mixed together and it was very good!)