Hi!

At any given moment, my brain is basically a radio station—but not a cool one. Nope, this week it is just three songs on repeat 🎤. Some days it’s more like an all-out stadium tour in there, but mostly this week, it’s three little loops on a nonstop cycle. And the worst part? I don’t even get the whole song—just the same line over and over and over. Torture.

It takes me back to when we were kids making mix tapes📼. Remember that struggle? Sitting by the radio with your finger hovering over the record button, waiting *hours* for your favorite song to finally play—only for the DJ to talk through the intro. But once you nailed it, you had that treasure forever. And if someone made a tape for you? Oh honey, that was love. That was time, effort, commitment. Playlists today are great, but they will never have the same blood-sweat-tears energy of a proper cassette mix.

My kids will never know the joy. They create playlists like I make shopping lists. They don’t have to wait for DJs to stop talking or the commercials to stop to hit record at just the right moment. But at least they *do* still share them with friends and crushes. That tradition, thankfully, lives on.💕

This week, though, I’ve been extra sentimental about my own crew. I can literally feel childhood slipping away in our house. Our oldest went back to school 👍 (ugh, she left me *again*), our middle is a senior (soon to leave me too), and the baby? Only two years until she flies the coop. TWO. Lord help me when I’ve got two in college at the same time. AND HELP My husband and cat for sure, because I am already too much to handle, can’t even imagine when the nest is empty. For now, I’ve got two kiddos still at home, and I’m soaking it in. *Cue cheesy montage music in my head.*

And of course, fall in our house means one thing: football season. Thursday through Sunday, our calendar is full of football and marching band competitions – locked in until Christmas. High school, SEC, NFL—you name it, we’re watching it. And yes, I run a fantasy football team too (don’t ask me about my record). But let’s be honest—the part that really has my heart? Marching band.

I’m a halftime girl. Full stop. I’m a certified Color Guard Groupie! 🚩 I live for the color guard tossing rifles, spinning flags, dancing like their lives depend on it. The costumes, the props, the DRAMA—it’s better than any football play you’ll see. These kids are athletes and performers rolled into one, and they blow me away every time.

We’ve had eight years of color guard life (two daughters total, with a cameo appearance by our third in marching band for one year old), and I can’t recommend it enough. For shy kids who dream of the stage but don’t want the spotlight of theater, color guard is magic. The shows are awe-inspiring, but it’s the friendships that seal the deal. These kids don’t just learn how to perform—they learn life skills:

• ⏰Being on time (say all together now — “to be early is to be on time, to be on time is late, and to be late is unacceptable”).
• 📅 Managing their schedule—balancing school, clubs, practice, work, friends, and more.
• 📚Crushing their academics—band kids are often rocking multiple AP classes on top of everything else.
• 👯‍♂️Teamwork—because making a 250-person marching production look effortless is nothing short of sorcery (and hours and hours of drill practice for weeks on end!)

Honestly, I could go on forever. But the bottom line: I’m a giant marching band fangirl. Always will be.

Which is why this fall is going to be *brutal*. Our middle is performing her final season of high school marching band, and I’m stocking up on Kleenex and wine now. (A mini keg in the fridge doesn’t sound too dramatic, right?)

And while we’re on the subject of games—let’s talk stadium survival. Must-haves? Cushioned seats with backrests (ours are barely holding together after seven seasons), blankets for the rare cold nights, handheld fans for the boiling September “fall,” a blinged-out cowbell (this is Texas after all), and of course—snacks. Our school is known for its tailgating, and so we always spend some time before the game filling up on snacks. Our daughter’s band’s call time is early, so we always have an hour or more to kill before kick-off. 

There are plenty of ways to tailgate, and boy, do we see the full spectrum of tailgaters. Oh, this is Texas after all… so do we have parents who pull in trailers that look more like a food truck than something to store stuff in – it has awnings, large TVs, storage, and a kitchen! And this is not just one or two families… every club, booster org and more have a set area. I swear our school can rival any NFL tailgate! They had to finally set up rules for tailgating because our parking lots were sold out! But for me, let’s keep it super simple! Just let me eat my takeout and toss the trash so it does not smell up the car. I’m a simple girl! (You know the saying, if we call ourselves simple – we are anything but simple.😘)

Next week’s the first game, and I am READY. Heated stadium seats may or may not be on my birthday wish list. (Not that Texas really gets cold, but hey, a girl can dream.) And yes, this is Texas… I will do a post on Homecoming Mums for sure! And will post a pic or two of my sweet baby’s senior mum!