RBD Tour: Season 3

It is year 3 of the Randy - Ben - Derek Michigan football tradition, and what an awesome weekend it was. On Friday night we hung out at Calvin for awhile, had our yearly game of speed scrabble followed by our annual midnight bowling.

We left early Saturday morning for our 2007 Big Ten destination - Champaign, IL to watch the the Wolverines take on the Fighting Illini. Even though Michigan hasn't lost in Champaign since 1983 it was going to be a tough game because the Illini actually have a very good team this year. Also, Michigan was without their Heisman hopeful running back. To make matters worse, Illinois fans seem to be the most drunk, vulgar, and aggressive fans in the Big Ten so we had to watch out.

The Randy Van was perfect for an afternoon of tailgating.

We also walked around campus and threw the football in front of Assembly hall.


ESPN radio was broadcasting on campus and Ben missed his shot at a free T-Shirt.

The HIGHLIGHT of the trip was the game itself. Like I said, Illinois fans are extremely rude and loud. For some reason they hate Michigan and treat them like their biggest rival so it made the game really intense.

We were sitting along the aisle that divided the Michigan section from the Illinois student section, which meant we witnessed a lot of jeering back and forth. You can see from this picture Michigan on the left, Illinois on the right, and not much space in between.The beginning of the game was almost unbearable because Michigan was sloppy and Illinois jumped out to a 14-3 lead. But, it was completely worth it in the end because the wolverines came back for a terrific and exciting 27-17 win. When fans are as annoying as Illinois, you have to rub it back in their face when you win. So we did. Let's just say it felt really good.

To make the tailgating more memorable Ben, Derek, and I decided it would be fun to drink WAY more pop than we normally would or should. We thought 12 each was a reasonable goal so we bought 3 12-packs. It wasn't as easy or enjoyable as we originally thought. Derek and I made it but Squeek wimped out at 11. GO BLUE!

Falling Irish

This is my fourth year of going to Notre Dame games with Eric. I believe their record in the games I've watched is 2-4. This weekend the 1-5 Irish hosted #4 Boston College. They put up a decent fight but ended up losing by 13. As always we tailgated all day with the ChemEng department, including young Kaylee.
Before the game we watched the "Oldest University Band" band march through campus to the stadium. We had terrific seats just 11 rows up.
On the way home Erin and I witnessed this nifty milestone. Hopefully the Honda lasts as long as the Caravan, which is cruising along at 221,000 miles.

Dream Come True

I've always wanted to live close enough to work so that I could run there instead of driving every day. It would double as my transportation and daily exercise. Well, technically I already do. This morning I ran in to work...from Kentwood to Zeeland. 20.4 miles!

I'm planning to do a lot of desk work today and not get out of my comfortable chair very often.

Only 3 more weeks until the New York Marathon!

Screwed

On Saturday Erin and I drove to Saugatuck to go hiking in the state park and then have dinner along the water. It was a hot afternoon and eating outside sounded great.

As we were getting onto the highway I noticed a screw driver laying in the middle of the on ramp. I thought it was odd and casually swerved to miss it. But, as I passed it I saw another screw driver directly in front of me. Uh-oh! ThumpThump was what we heard as I rolled over it. The thumps were pretty loud and I nervously looked in my mirror to see if I had punctured the gas tank or some other line but didn't see any fluids leaking from the Honda. It was driving fine so I must not have blown a tire either.

I breathed a sigh of relief and we drove the 40 miles to Saugatuck State Park. When we arrived Erin went to the bathroom and then met me back at the car. As she approached the car she let out a shriek of horror at this sight:

Amazingly, the screw driver lodged itself safely in a small plastic tap right in front of the tire. AMAZING!

We enjoyed our hike and had a nice dinner along the boardwalk in Saugutuck.

Erin's New Friend

The Veldhof's lost their family dog Murphy last Thanksgiving. They took their time finding a new one but last week they finally found their new friend. Zoe.

Zoe is a Bichon-Poodle mix. She's only 6 weeks old and is so small she doesn't even seem real. Erin was in love at first sight. Zoe is pretty funny, she doesn't know how to pace herself yet. When she wakes up she has to play, and play hard. She thoroughly tires herself out until she has to take a nap and then the cycle repeats itself all day.

I'm still not a dog lover, but Zoe is all right so far.