Maroon Out

It's always nice to have connections. Whether it be the long lost family friend who gives you a place to stay when you are out of town and low on cash, the totally random stranger who knows your cousin and volunteers to road trip with you for a weekend (thanks Cliff), or that old classmate who landed an amazing job and invites you to the Super Bowl.

Okay, so the Super Bowl thing hasn't exactly played out yet, but we can all dream big, right?

Mom and I decided (on a whim) to take a trip down to College Station to see Dylan and meet some of his buddies. We had originally planned on just hanging around his apartment, doing laundry, and stocking the refrigerator. At the last minute, one of my good friends from high school asked if I would interested in two tickets to the A&M vs OU game that Saturday. Of course, mom and I could not decline! You see, this particular friend (Nolen) has provided tickets for me multiple times and since he works for the athletic department, the seats are always in a prime location. Our seats for this game were on the fourth row of the Aggie parents section on the 50 yard line! (check out the view)

The weekend was fun-filled and exactly what I needed...a resort from Wichita Falls, plus quality time with my bub. Oh, and might I add, the Aggies chalked up one more victory and the Sooners went home...well, losers.

We also checked out a great dog park, since we had Kaymen and Solomon with us!

Lobo Invitational 2010

Dylan ran in his first official meet as a Big 12 athlete last week at the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I could not be more overjoyed for him. Not only was he able to run as a member of the Texas A&M men's traveling team, but he was also able to earn a spot in the top 8 runners. I was not able to watch the meet because Cliff and I were in Colorado (will post about that trip soon), but being the super parents that they are, mom and dad made the 470 mile trip to see him run.

After listening to him talk about the race, I can definitely tell that Dylan is in his element. His first words to me were, "I've never felt so good about running. It's actually fun again." The feeling I got when he said these words overwhelmed me with joy. I am so happy for him.

Dylan's official meet time was 26:36.8 and he placed 40th out of 82 runners.

Pre-meet write-up: http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/c-xctrack/spec-rel/083010aab.html

Post-meet wrap-up: http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/c-xctrack/recaps/090410aab.html

Gig 'Em

Dylan is now part of a new family. A family that I am not currently part of, and a family that I will never be part of. He is now a "Fightin' Texas Aggie."

Okay, so maybe it's not that bad. I guess technically, I am an Oklahoma State Aggie. And after all, he DID earn his way on to the Texas A&M Men's Track and Cross Country teams. (Which makes me a VERY proud sister.) Dylan spent a year at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas and was not exactly himself during that time. Sure, he had friends, but they were his teammates, not his long time buddies from high school. His girlfriend, Addison, along with at least 24 others from his graduating class were at A&M, and he wanted to be there as well.

After being red-shirted his freshman year, Dylan was still able to run unattached at a few track meets in the spring. He caught the A&M coach's attention when he beat several Aggie runners in the steeple chase event. It was at that point that things started looking up for him. He spoke with coaches, made sure his grades were where they needed to be, and continued to train hard even after the season was over.

My little brother was accepted into Texas A&M at the beginning of the summer and was even offered a scholarship for track and cross country! His whole demeanor changed after that day. His workouts were more intense, his diet changed, and he became mentally stronger.

Dylan left for College Station as a completely different person. He had his head held high and did not dread that first day of class/practice (like last year). I know that this move will be a milestone for him and will change his future dramatically. The Texas Aggie family is one of the strongest networks in the south and I know that he will fit right in (minus doing all of the chants and "whooping" until my head hurts).

I will never consider myself an A&M fan, but I do know ONE Aggie that I will be rooting for these next few years on the courses and tracks, and I couldn't be more proud to say that he's my brother.

Texas A&M Men's Cross Country Roster:

http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/c-xctrack/spec-rel/tam-xc-2010-mroster.html

Big 12 Cross Country:

http://www.big12sports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&KEY=&SPID=13213&SPSID=106679