Passionate about Purple.

Bleeding Purple

If you haven't heard the Kansas State Wildcats are #1. Yup, my team, my alma mater is #1. It has been a little surreal this football season. Win or lose you won't find fans that love their team or their coach (the amazing Bill Snyder) as much as we do, but on top of that we are #1 is slightly unbelievable. If this is a dream I don't want to wake up. 

The Boy and I cheering on the Cats in Manhattan when we played Oklahoma State. 

When at the K-State game a couple weeks ago I got a little emotional. When I looked around I realized how much purple has shaped my life. If it is wasn't for me attending Kansas State University I have no idea what path I would be on and I think I am in a pretty amazing place in my life right now. What I owe to K-State and my K-State Family is really unmeasurable. 

It would be amazing if Collin Klein and our Wildcats brought home that crystal football, but if those players experience at K-State was anything like mine they hearts are already so full that they will know they have already won. Cheesy yes, but true. 

While at the game they filmed a shot of the Championship Trophy right in front of us. I apologize for the incredibly blurry iPhone picture because that crystal football is beautiful to see. 

This weekend the Boy and are are going to a Notre Dame game with the farming group. I am really excited to see the campus, however I will be proudly sporting my K-State purple. I know where my heart lies. If you ever have the opportunity to stop in Manhattan, or have a son or daughter or friend that is about to go to college tell them to consider Kansas State. It is the least I can go to spread the purple pride. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. 

I'm talking about what comes from playing for a Midwest school

I am K-State Proud. 

Recently, a gentlemen known as the K-State Mask has entered the college football scene. And whether or not you have any desire to bleed K-State purple you've got to watch. He is moving (I literally get goosebumps), hilarious, motivating and ridiculous. Below is a quote from today's video as we get pumped up to play Miami this weekend.

I think I fell in love.

This quote goes on longer and get pretty funny after the heartfelt stuff in the K-State Mask video. You can watch it all hear. 

And this is the link to the K-State Mask's Missouri State Post Game Video. It is amazing. My Iowa 

loving husband even felt a little purple pride. 

Be sure to follow K-State Mask on Twitter. 

"We need to be loud, proud, and a helluva a crowd. Mark that down."

- K-State Mask

I'm nervous, and got the goose bumps

It's game day

Today is a pretty important day. Teams across the country will be playing football, but there is one team I will be wildly cheering on, my K-State Wildcats. See today we play Oklahoma State. We had an undefeated season until last week when those ugly Sooners kind of dominated us. After so many straight wins in a row, we are looking for a W again.

Now I know that many of my close friends are Cowboys, and I know that many people that read this blog will be wearing orange today, so I am making a declaration. I will not smack talk you, if you are pleasant back. That way we don't have to put our friendship on hold.

Now for the goose bump part. If the hairs on your arm down stand up, obviously you don't bleed purple. Go cats, and remember EMAW.

Dogs and Cornfields - Corn Report

An Iowa weekend

This weekend I headed to Iowa, but not to the Boy's home. Instead we met half way in Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa vs Iowa State football game. After the Boy attending two K-State games last year I promised that I would go to an Iowa game. Yes, that is right I cheer for Iowa, not ISU. K-State is my Big 12 school.

Enjoying a little tailgating, even though they lost the game. You can't see it in the picture, but I did wear my K-State Alumni pin. 

The Boy helped me out with the corn report though snapping these pictures of his dog Skye.

Skye getting picked up from the vet. That is where she gets boarded when the Boy is out of town. 

Skye hanging out in front of the cornfield. 

We are now waiting for the corn to completely turn brown, and the moisture to lower. Some farmers will cut the corn even when the moisture is a little high and then use dryers to lower the moisture. However, the with the cost of propane, electricity or natural gas, that is used for these dryers, that can be pretty expensive. So the Boy will patiently wait a little longer until the time is just right to save some expense.

To read other corn reports and see the corn grow over the summer click on the Watch Corn Grow link. 

America Needs Farmers

American Needs Farmers, there probably isn't a truer statement. I've been familiar with the the ANF phrase for awhile. Curiosity got me a few years ago when I had seen ANF on the Iowa Football team's helmets. ANF originated in 1985. Head Coach Hayden Frye and the Iowa Hawkeyes were on a seven game win streak, yet farmers and ranchers were in a tough situation. Crippling economic times were forcing farmers to sell land and livestock that had been apart of the family farm for generations. Nearly 20,000 farms went under in Iowa, 235,000 farms nationwide.

Hayden decided that he wanted to sent a message of support to those farmers, and the ANF logo was placed on the teams helmets. With the Hawkeyes having one of their best seasons ever ANF was given national spotlight.

the Hawkeyes helmet

Today the American Needs Farmers saying is just as relevant. The Boy and I are really lucky. Our families have had a relatively good year. Cattle prices are high and so are corn prices. However, on the other hand inputs (gas, fertilizer, hay, grain, seed) are also sky rocketing in price. It is taking more money to make money, and we are lucky ones. To the south ranchers are being forced to sell thousands of head of cattle because the drought has turned fields of grass into dirt. There is no feed for the cattle so they must be sold. To the north massive flooding as put some farmer's crops under 30 feet of water. They say much of the Missouri River flood waters won't recede until Christmas time.

Add on top of that the pressures by groups like HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) and PETA who's goals are to end animal agriculture. Each day they use their multi-million dollar budgets to try and change policy that will make it harder for farms to stay in business. (p.s. HSUS doesn't own a single animal shelter and only spends less than half of one percent of its budget on animal shelters.)

The Iowa Farm Bureau has teamed up with Iowa to bring back ANF. I was excited when I saw their display at the Iowa State Fair, and I will definitely be purchasing an American Needs Farmers T-shirt for my first Iowa vs. Iowa State game this fall. Don't worry my heart still bleeds purple for my Wildcats.

In the coming weeks I'll be sharing some more information with you on the American Needs Farmers campaign. I mean combining college football and farming doesn't really get much better. And stay tuned for more Iowa State Fair posts, the Boy and I are showing his Hereford heifers this morning. Finally, don't forget today is the last day to enter my bracelet giveaway. Hope you all had a great weekend.

The Iowa Farm Bureau America Needs Farmers banners.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Stuff your face.

The recipe for a great tailgate is good friends, good food and beverage and hopegully a W up on the score board. This weekend I am headed to Manhattan, Kansas, for my first tailgate of the year. And to make it better the boy will be attending as well. It's a big weekend for football. His team Iowa (I am learning to like them only because they aren't in our conference) will be playing Iowa State, in Iowa City. Huge rivals. Huge game. And he is going to give up this game for a little Wildcat fun. It is kind of like giving up Christmas.

However, the football Gods have aligned and we'll watch the Iowa game in Aggieville during the afternoon and attend the K-State game that night. Perfect.

Now back to one of the other key ingredients the food. The boys mom gave me this awesome recipe for Jalapeno Popper Spread that will make a great addition to our tailgate.

Ingredients

2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) can chopped chiles, drained
1 (2 oz.) canned diced jalapenos peppers, drained
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Stir cream cheese and mayo together in large, microwave safe bowl until smooth.

2. Mix in chiles and jalapenos. What I love about this recipe is that all the cheese balances out the heat from the chiles and jalapenos. It has just enough kick.

3. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. And then microwave on High until hot. Approximately three minutes.

4. Try not to eat the whole bowl in one setting.

Go State!

The Boys of Fall

Gives you chills

It is finally here. Football season. I haven't always been crazy about football. Back home in Canada there weren't Friday night football games. However, that all changed once I got to college. I remember my first college football game was with my friend Emilie. We played OSU, had the day off of judging and did we ever have fun.

I learned the K-State fight song, the Pledge of Alligence and my hate for KU at football games, and now ever fall I wait in anticipation for the games to start again.

This weekend is our first football game, and I am missing it. I am headed to Texas with the boy for a wedding. The scarfices we make. I shouldn't give him too hard of a time, I am making him miss the Iowa vs. Iowa State game. Which I have been told is close to some sort of religious event in Iowa.

So as a I am watching the score updates on my blackberry this week, take a look at this video. It gives me goosebumps and reminds what the fall is all about.

College Football vs College of Ag

It's that time of year

I have got football on the brain. I can't believe the first game of the season is almost here. There is something about going to football games in Manhattan, Kansas, that I love. I am pretty sure it is the only college football game that you will see advertisements for Five Rivers Feeders or Nuflor up on the jumbotron during the game. Cowboy boots and cowboy hats can be seen in every direction. And every large-animal pharmaceutical company is throwing a tailgate.

Our athletics program is pretty decent, but I would always take some more wins. One day I will probably send some money in their direction. I am planning on having pretty good football seats and it is the only way to get there. However, right now I know that the dollars I send to the College of Ag probably have a greater impact. I would rather support scholarships that with put the youth who will feed the world through college, than sending dollars to athletics so we can buy a bigger jumbtron.

However, in Nebraska it seems like things are a little different. On August 20, Tom Osborne, Nebraska's Athletics Director, announced the Cornhusker Co-op. The program allows managers at elevators, from across the state, to authorize portions of farmer's grain yield as a donation to the Athletic Department.

Too bad these designated funds couldn't go towards their College of Ag.

Maybe we can get Kansas State on board for a program similar to this. I can see the headline now, "Kansas wheat farms donate portion of yields to ag scholarships, livestock judging teams, and international agriculture trips."

And it all comes to an end

Maybe my weekends will be a little more productive now.

This weekend I headed to Lincoln, Nebraska for the K-State football game, and with a loss, it means the end of the season. No bowl game this year. I will have to say that once again K-State football gave me another set of great memories. It is hard to describe what college football is like until you get to experience it yourself.

I have always said that K-State fans are some of the best fans in the Big 12 maybe the country (yes I am slightly bias), but I was more than impressed with Nebraska. Those fans are serious, I am pretty sure if you aren't a Nebraska fan, they don't let you live in the state. When the 81,067 seat stadium is full (which they have filled it more than 300 times in a row - that's a NCAA record) the stadium itself becomes the 3rd largest city in Nebraska.

When Nebraska scores their first touchdown people let these red balloons go. It's pretty neat to watch them fill the sky. The stadium is also loud. Everyone cheers, everyone chants, they have awesome fans. Would definitely go back to Memorial Stadium, hopefully next time it will be a stronger team through, and we'll walk away with the win!

Katie and I enjoying the awesome weather.

Lauren and Tawnya - go State!

This is why I love K-State Football

Go State!

This weekend we have a huge game - we are playing our arch rivals KU (Kansas). This game (well actually most K-State games) can turn sweet innocent girls into swearing sailors, and this one will be no exception. I guess you could say we have passion.

Out on I-70 there is this huge billboard the has a big ugly Jayhawk (KU's mascot) on it. Now I am all letting people advertise, but common on this Jayhawk/KU billboard is clearly in Wildcat country. And because of that this is what usually happens...

Cgood sent me this picture on Tuesday. Now I do not believe in destruction of property, but I'm a pretty proud alumna too. EMAW stands for Every Man A Wildcat. I can't even count how many times this has happened, may those Jayhawks will get the message, and take their billboard back to Lawrence. We are coming for a fight this weekend boys. What can I say I bleed purple!