Clay, Kathy, Tequila and Horned Frogs
We have a lot of good friends here in Phoenix for sure, but for the most part all our old (old both ways…) friends either moved away or always did live under some other push pin on the Google map. So it is very cool when we get the call that some friends are headed our way. This time it was extra cool because it was Clay and Kathy making the trip to see us here in the desert. Kathy and Clay aren’t really friends - they be family - and it had been way too long since they made it out this way. Plus it was over the New Year’s holiday which meant lots of goof time to be had. Being oenophiles and golf fanatics, you knew we would be drinking well and I would need to dust off the wife’s sand wedge too.
Before we knew of the visit, Kimberly and I had been contemplating what to do New Year’s Eve. We really hate to go out, but at the same time hate to be old fuddy-dudies and just sit around. So with Kathy and Clay coming it seemed a no-brainer - we would have a party for them on New Year’s Eve! Then, with what was already sounding like a great few days got even better when the TCU Horned Frogs BCS bid sent them to the Fiesta Bowl. Both Clay and Kathy were grad students at TCU and go to most games back in Ft. Worth. Clay’s mom also works at TCU and with that has some special allocations where she could score some great seats for the game (the Fiesta Bowl is played 15 minutes up the street at University of Phoenix Stadium here in Glendale. BTW: Mrs. Reeves insisted on getting tickets for us and that was very kind and thoughtful of her and Gerald. So the week plan was set, family, vino, golf, vino, golf, vino, party, friends, tailgate, Frogs… life be good. It really did turn out to be a great week and every day ended with the old - it doesn’t get much better than that. The exception being the Frog’s loss in the Bowl, but I think next year is set up to be perhaps Natl. title time.
Seems Clay and Kathy had just landed a day before, played a round of golf and it was party time. As always we spent the day running around making sure we had everything we needed and doing the setup and cooking. Before you knew it, party time. We didn’t have a lot of the Belly Dancer gang this time as many were out of town or had other plans by the time we set the Party up. Plus it’s so hard sometimes with New Years, baby sitters, etc. But we still did get to enjoy a great fire dance from Laura, and Misty and Kimberly did a excellent sword dance too - the gang all loved it. Also cool was we had a ton of folks from our West Valley Runners group show up. We have gotten to know them all just recently really and this was the first opportunity we had to invite them over. It was great to have them. Of course a ton of the other usual suspects were also kind (or silly) enough to spend their NYE with us as well.
I’ll leave the details for another time, but as seems to happen as the night wears on the activity under the Tiki Bar progresses to trouble (ish). Stirring the pot this time, Mr. Clayton Reeves himself. He was pouring Tequila shots quicker than a Nolan Ryan fastball. My poor little sis ended up playing that game a little too long by the way and missed Auld Lang Syne by about 15 minutes. Tequila along with a ton of Bubble Water, including some Dom Perignon (brought by good friends Christian and Debbie) was a flowin’ until the wee hours. I think we ended up hitting the pillow about 3:00 am the first early morning of 2010.
Over the weekend we did the golf thing. I got to play Anthem Country Club which I have wanted to for awhile. Considering the cold, and I had not played in forever, plus the course (man it is a tough one), I did pretty good. Would have enjoyed it anyway, but sure helped having a decent game. I even won a couple of bucks from Clay (let’s not mention he has to give me 2 shots a hole).
One of my favorite days of the whole visit was Fiesta Bowl day. We did it up right. I think we had the whole back of the truck full of grills and coolers, chairs, food, etc when we headed over to do some serious tailgating at the stadium. It was a chamber of commerce weather day, I grilled some burgers, then some shrimp, and we just hung out all day munching and drinking beer and vino and enjoying the great company (incl. Clay’s folks who were here for the game). The best part of the day however wasn’t even at the game - it was because our Grand Daughter was born 
(Healthy, happy 6lb. 10oz. Ariana Marie)!! It was killing us though that we could barely get cell service to find out all the details.
I sure hope that Kathy and Clay enjoyed the week as much as we did. I wanted everything to go perfect because there is some talk that they may make Phoenix home a couple/few months out of the year. It would be so, so cool to have them close so we could hang all the time.
As always… you know there were some Party Pictures (errr ummm …minus a few) HERE and also the Fiesta Bowl shots HERE