Playing the Waiting Game

I cannot wait any longer. I'm tired of seeing all of the experts' bowl projections changing every week. What does it take to be an expert? One who can make a decision? Maybe so. Regardless of who will be right and who will be wrong, bowl season might just be the most wonderful time of the year. Well, at least until March Madness begins! Actually, it's a cycle. There's nothing better than college athletics. All of you pro fans can argue as much as you want. I'll win the argument.

The focus now is on college football. I've always had an affiliation with the game. From an excited kid sitting in the nosebleed sections of Commonwealth Stadium, to an often anxious longsnapper in the SEC, to an ambitious administrator trying to raise money during a recession...I live and breathe college athletics.

I'm thrilled to say that we will go bowling this year...again! But where???! Once the selections are official, you can bet that I will be surfing more travel sites than you ever thought existed for flights to head back to the South. If you only knew how excited I am about booking two $600+ flights!

Back to bowling. There are four WAC teams bowl eligible: Boise State (1st), Nevada (2nd), Fresno State (3rd), and Idaho (4th). The WAC bowl tie-ins include the New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque), the Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu), and the Humanitarian Bowl (Boise). All are essentially equal in regards to payouts, so there is not necessarily a pecking order for selection. The key component to all of this is Boise State. They should finish undefeated and be selected as a BCS team, that is of course unless Nebraska shocks the nation with an upset of Texas in next week's Big 12 Championship game. If this and a few other things happen, there is a slight chance we could actually get left out...but I'm not sweating it.

So if Boise goes to the BCS, the odds are as close to 100% as possible that Idaho will head to the Humanitarian Bowl. Location, location, location! That leaves Nevada and Fresno State. The majority of experts think Fresno State will be playing Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl. I just wonder how many of them realize that we played there last year? My mind is telling me that we will be going to the Hawaii Bowl to play SMU. This is an intriguing matchup for the islanders as they consider Fresno State a rival and bringing June Jones back to the islands gives them a big-time excuse to come out and cheer for...well, most would think Jones and the Mustangs...but he did leave them! Some would argue that Nevada is more deserving of a trip to Hawaii than Fresno State. I've come to learn that it's not necessarily about who is most deserving, but it is more about who will sell the most tickets and have higher TV ratings. We'll just have to wait and see.

So for now, we just have another week to ponder, bite nails, and think about where we might be spending the holidays. If for some reason Boise gets left out of the BCS, then I just wasted a lot of electronic ink and I hope the bowl selection committees think about Fresno State! Happy Holidays and Go Dogs!

Hawaii Slideshows

Slideshows from our trip to Hawaii for the game are below. A quick run down:

The oldest slideshow is of our 1st and 2nd days in Hawaii. When we arrived we rented a car and drove up to the North Shore. We went to Turtle Bay Resort and enjoyed the beach there for a good part of the afternoon. After that we drove back down Oahu to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where we were staying. On the 2nd day we spent most of the morning at Pearl Harbor visiting the Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri. The 2 sites where WWII began and ended, respectively.

Days 3-4 are in the most current slideshow. These were of the game day and events at the Aloha Bowl. As well, we included a lot of pictures from our hike up Diamondhead State Monument were we got some of the best views of Oahu!

Mahalo!

Furloughs, Promotions, 30 & Then Some!

Yes, it has been a while since our last post, so in celebration of my 3rd furlough day since August, I'll give the blogging another try. For those of you who do not know, California is in a financial crisis and it has resulted in 24 furlough days for me and 12 for Mary Beth. This basically means that we take a pay cut but do not have to work. So, it's not all that bad! I was able to play golf yesterday and today instead of heading into the office. Yesterday might have been the last of the summer weather as it was around 100 degrees; today, however, the high was in the mid-70's...absolutely beautiful!

Despite the furloughs, the Barnes' really can't complain. After my boss left for a job at Ole Miss, our AD has given me the chance to oversee the development office. This is a wonderful opportunity that will be great for my professional career. It's amazing how much more I have learned in just the past month and I'm sure this will continue. Mary Beth also received a nice promotion going from part-time to full-time. Her new title is Associate Director of Campus and Registrar and she is now back in a normal routine.

Last month we were able to head back to Kentucky for my sister's wedding. We had a blast and it is always great to catch up with friends and family.

Football season has begun and Fresno State has started off 1-3. Despite this, our losses have come against teams that are 12-0 and all have a legitimate chance to make it to a BCS game. So for what it's worth, we may be the best 3 loss team in the country! I am confident that we will win 8 straight, finish 9-3, and go to a great bowl game. The toughest test may come next weekend at Hawaii. Yes, Mary Beth and I are both going! It will be our first trip there, and we are absolutely looking forward to it.

This weekend should be a pleasant one as Fresno State is off. We are going to a wedding Saturday afternoon and will be hanging out around the house watching lots of college football that morning and evening.

We hope to get back to Kentucky for Thanksgiving and down to the Gulf Coast over the holidays. Will somebody please talk with the airlines and get the flights down to about half the current cost?! It costs about $600 per ticket right now! That doesn't mean that you can't come out here for about half that price! It's amazing how they take advantage of holiday weekends; but, that's the nature of supply and demand.

To close, for those of you who didn't know I just hit the big 3-0. I guess it's not all that bad!

Until next time!

Coleman

Summer highlights

Sorry, not the best pic, but Coleman and I were happy that my parents visited us in late May. They flew into San Francisco where we spent the weekend before showing them Fresno. My mom had visited once before but it was my dad's first time..We all really enjoyed touring Alcatraz...view from the lawn on the island in the pic below.

Coleman and I spent July 4th weekend in Vegas. The definite highlight of the weekend was Friday night where we had dinner at Table 10, Emeril's restaurant in the Palazzo Hotel, and then on the the Cirque du Soleil show, LOVE...It was awesome....Pic of me outside The Mirage where LOVE is playing.

Coleman and I Saturday night inside the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino. Awesome dinner at Strip Steak then hit the tables then the Prive Lounge


Fresno friends all traveled to South Lake Tahoe the 2nd weekend in July for Lindsay and Dan's wedding. Dan worked with Coleman at the Bulldog Foundation and recently accepted a job at Oregon State. Lake Tahoe is such a beautiful place...next time we'd like to go back when it is snowing...but the summer there is beautiful!



More to come......In August we'll be back in San Fran for a fun weekend then we head to Kentucky for Coleman's sister- Brooke's wedding!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Us!

Wow! We can't believe that it has already been 1 year! What a year- I would definitely say that the theme of our first year of marriage was TRAVEL! It is so nice that at this point we are free to jet away pretty much when we want- it has been an amazing first year and look forward to it getting even better from here!

We spent the anni weekend in San Diego- the place where we got engaged 2 summers ago :) It was a wonderful weekend and we hope to make San Diego a permanent vacation spot for the future...A few pics from the weekend....

Coronado Bridge - outside Petco Park

Day at Sea World

Shamu night show


Petco Park- Home of the San Diego Padres

Polar Bears at Sea World