Fashion Friday, Manolo Blahnik Style

This week I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by Neiman Marcus here in Houston, featuring the king of women's shoes, Mr. Manolo Blahnik. My fashionable friend Pam, author of Accessory Whore, invited me along to take pictures while she interviewed the master himself. I happily obliged, being a long time fan of Manolo Blahnik shoes. Women's shoes, especially those that are decidedly feminine and sexy with a delicate stiletto heel, are somewhat of an obsession of mine.

Pam and I arrived early to check out the scene and admire the shoes. We were greeted with male models holding divine booties on trays and female models standing on platforms like living mannequins.

There were servers with wine and gourmet finger foods and lots of impeccably dressed members of Houston society who had come to worship their guru. There seemed to be nearly one sales person per shopper in the shoe salon as women tried on pair after pair, searching for just the right shoe for Mr. Blahnik to autograph. And sign them he did, along with copies of his new book of shoe sketches. 

Manolo Blahnik is an amazing story of hard work, creativity and great branding. He grew up on a banana plantation in the Canary Islands of Spain, totally isolated from the rest of the world with the exception of occasional trips to Italy and France where his mother would visit her favorite couturiers. He studied carefully how to make shoes and cuts and crafts every design himself. Now at 67 years old his name is symbolic of luxury, fantasy and wearable art.  He is absolutely charming and Pam was able to asked him a few questions about style, but you'll have to skip over to her blog to read his answers.

For me the event was also a bit of a glimpse into Houston society life. I learned some interesting things about the very wealthy in this city, which are very different from where I come from in the northeast. As with so many things in Houston, the luxury market seems to swing with the price of oil. But some things are not so different when lots of money is involved, and that's all I'm going to say about that. 

Admirers of Manolo's shoes come in all shapes and sizes. There were even some mothers who brought their very little girls to meet the man of the hour. Four year old Sinclair Schiller had the most fantastic purple Dolce and Gabanna wellies on before she took them off to try on these red Manolos. 

She really was just too cute for words. Seeing Mr. Blahnik in action was fascinating, but for me it still just comes down to his amazing shoes. 

So do you "get it" or are you among those left wondering what all the fuss is about?

Sell Your Stuff on Craigslist

This week I am inspired to share with you one of the many ways I like to bring in some extra cash...selling stuff on Craigslist. I wrote a post several months ago about my top ten ways to make a quick buck and mentioned Craigslist as one option. It's not necessarily the best place to sell everything, but for some things I find it works well.

This week I sold my crib, with the mattress, on Craigslist for $150.  Cha-ching! I don't even remember what I paid for it, but it's not the fanciest crib in the world, not even solid wood. But it is in decent condition and I searched high and low for the color to match a piece of cherry furniture I already had. It took a bit of patience, I listed it several weeks ago and was about to drop the price when I got an inquiry from a woman nearby. She came and picked it up without even examining it closely this past Sunday.

Here are a few tips for selling via Craigslist.

• Include a good photo. More than one if possible! I skip right over entries with no photos. 
• Be as specific as possible in the location line. I put Katy/Cinco which is my city and subdivision. Some people don't want to drive very far for things.
• Be honest about the condition of items. 
• Talk up the features. 
• Include links to positive testimonials if possible.
• Include links that show full retail price. 
• Specify you will only take cash! Don't take a chance on getting a bounced check. 
• For safety, arrange for pickup when your spouse is home. 

I use Craigslist for larger kid toys and they sell lightning fast. Consignment works for these too but you get a smaller percentage of the price. I tried selling my crib bedding on Craiglist but nobody bit, so I ended up selling it at a consignment store instead. I have found that combining lots of items in one post doesn't work very well, since it drives up the price and some people are attracted to the lower prices. That goes against what usually works at consignment sales and stores, but that's my experience. Online they see price first, product second. In person it's the opposite. 

For lots more information about this, the awesome personal finance blogger, Adam Baker, has a brand new e-book out called "Sell Your Crap". You should check it out. 

Have you had luck selling stuff via Craigslist?

The Servolution Begins with Compassion Sunday

Have you ever felt like God was literally standing two feet in front of you, jumping up and down, hollering at you trying to get a message through? Yeah. So that's what I feel like. This story of God opening my eyes and heart to the plight of the orphans and poverty stricken children of the world continues.

Last week I wrote a bit about it, and about how we have started a new Life group and ministry focused on adoption, fostering, and defending the cause of the orphan. The group is called 1:17, from the verse Isaiah 1:17 which says

Learn to do right. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

Mike with a Compassion packet

We are reading the book Fields of the Fatherless by Tom Davis. Fantastic, awesome book. I am also concurrently reading Radical, by David Platt. Same premise really in both books. Life, and most especially a life of faith in Jesus, is not meant to be lived in pursuit of happiness or comfort. Real fulfillment and really following Jesus is about living out compassion for others.

So anyway on Thursday Mike and I went to a concert in Houston that I bought tickets to more than a month ago.  The headlining band was Tenth Avenue North and also performing were Addison Road and Matt Maher. I love the music of all three performers. In fact, it was during the AWAKE series last year when our worship pastor sang Hold My Heart by Tenth Avenue North that I really got it, and my heart broke. During that song they showed statistics on human sex trafficking. Did you know that the number one city in the US for sex trafficking is Houston? Yeah, it's startling.

Ok back to the concert. So Matt Maher started off with some incredible songs like one of my favorites, Your Grace is Enough. He sang his hit Hold Us Together and then broke into Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry, which had me smiling. They are songs of hope during tough economic times for our country.

Matt Maher singing Hold us Together

Then two of the guys from Tenth Avenue North came out and talked about human slavery and sex trafficking, and how Compassion International helps prevent children from ending up in that life. Then Addison Road performed, closing out with their hit Hope Now. Then they showed an amazing video of the testimony of several adults whose lives were radically changed by Compassion International.  These were people who really were rescued, physically and spiritually by Jesus. Then Mike from Tenth Avenue North came out and shared the message that has affected me the most this year...that we have been rescued by poverty and even spiritual death by Jesus Christ. I was in the same hopeless, helpless situation as these kids without Him. So why shouldn't we, why wouldn't we want to show our gratitude by trying to save others from these desperate situations? I'm so glad we made the decision last May to sponsor our daughter in Kenya, Mbeyu.

Addison Road singing Hope Now

Then to my complete surprise, I got to church this morning and discovered we were starting a new series called Servolution. Also to my surprise it is Compassion Sunday! We saw a video on Compassion International and heard a presentation from a woman at our church about the work of Compassion. When I walked out after the service I saw a table full of sponsor packets and several people with their checkbooks open. Praise the Lord for that.

So I can't help but wonder what more God wants me to do. We already sponsor a child. We have opened our house to this new ministry. We are reading and praying. But I know He's asking for more, I know He is.  I'm sure I'll figure it out soon.

Photography Thursday

For your inspiration this morning, the animals of the Texas State Aquarium.  They are so incredible and it's amazing to see God's creativity in their design. 

Watching this sea turtle swim with such grace and elegance was mesmerizing. 

This little porcupine looks harmless when he's sleeping.

Don't miss the cool little shrimp to the right of the starfish.

S.O.A.P.ing Up Weekly

This week I want to share what works for me to help me get the most out of the pastor's message I hear at my church on Sunday. It's a principal I first learned from my church, the Fellowship at Cinco Ranch, called S.O.A.P.ing up.  It stands for: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer.

Every Sunday our pastor provides a Life Change sheet along with the message.  We are encouraged to fill in some blanks and make notes all over it.  It has tons of scripture references including the main passage he is teaching on, but also lots of supporting texts. Since that's a ton of scripture, they don't print the whole passage or even the whole verse usually.

We are encouraged to take that Life Change sheet and revisit the passage being discussed several times through the week. It really helps to meditate on God's word and uncover more and more truth that I might have missed on Sunday or even the first few times I'd read it.

The prayer part of the S.O.A.P. is the most important to me. I ask God to show me what He's trying to tell me specifically, and how to apply it to my life. I ask Him to help me with it and to give me wisdom...wisdom is simply seeing through God's eyes. Going through this as often as I am able really helps the Word sink into my soul and make a difference in my life.

What works for you when you're studying scripture? How can you keep from forgetting the sermon the minute you walk out the door?

Takeaways from the Interactive Strategies Conference

Last Thursday I took the day to attend Houston's Interactive Strategies Conference at House of Blues. It's mainly geared for marketing professionals, but I got a lot out of it last year. So here are a few of my takeaways from the conference, which can be applied to blogging and tweeting whenever you are marketing yourself or your business.

1. 43.7% of ALL purchases are affected by word of mouth. If that's not a reason to market via social media, I don't know what is.  - Allie Herzog

2. "Business is socializing with purpose." - keynote speaker Hugh MacLeod.

3. Markets are conversations. Raise the level of your conversation by sharing not "here's why you should buy our product" but "here's why we get up in the morning. Social media allows smarter conversations to happen.

4. Studies have shown that people's tweets are generally more happy and positive at 7am and by 1pm they start to get much grumpier. So try to go for transactions (asking for things) in the morning. - Mike Kraabel

5. "What you have doesn't make you unhappy. It's what you want that does." - Seth Godin

6. When you first meet people, try to create bonds by instead of asking "What do you do for work?" ask "What do you do for fun?" - Mike Kraabel

7. Train your brain by brainstorming every single day for maximum creative efficiency. - Carolyn Goodwin

8. 43% of members of virtual community feel as strongly about that community as their real life communities. (4 year old data) - Gil Velasquez

9. "Write drunk, edit sober" - Ernest Hemingway

10. We desire to act in a manner consistent with our values and prior actions. - Stephen Anderson

This post is part of Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday!

Weekly Winner September 12-18

My favorite shots taken within the past week.

Flying South

Goodnight Moon

Reaching Down From Heaven

Whatchu Lookin' At?

To see more weekly winners, head over to Lotus. 

The Curse of the Good Girl

So I know a lot of us have seen the movie Mean Girls that Lindsay Lohan did before her life fell apart. And I'm sure you've heard the many news stories about girls bullying other girls in school, unfortunately even causing some to go to extreme measures. So how do we address these problems with our own daughters?


I don't have a daughter, but I am a strong, independent and some would say successful woman, and I'm all about helping steer younger girls in the right direction and empowering them to reach their full potential. Which is why I want to tell you about a great book and an event going on here in Houston I think you should attend if you do have a daughter.

The book by Rachel Simmons is called The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls With Courage and Confidence. She talks about the pressure on girls to be perfect, nice, smart but not opinionated and successful but not ambitious. Rachel argues that this pressure causes these good girls to disconnect from their true emotions and desires and that they never really learn the important life skills of conflict resolution or how to accept criticism. This hurts them down the road personally and professionally.

Rachel's first book, Odd Girl Out, talked about the problem of female bullying and how the inability of these girls to handle conflict resolution often leads to indirect and viscous acts of aggression.

Now, if you're local to Houston I'd encourage you to attend a workshop for parents and daughters (age 8 and up) coming up on September 30th.

Thursday, September 30
HOUSTON, TXSt. Agnes Academy
9000 Bellaire Boulevard
Time 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Sponsored by Blue Willow Bookshop

• Admission fee $15.00 per parent/daughter
• Includes one copy of The Curse of the Good Girl
• Tickets on sale in August from Blue Willow Bookshop, by phone at (281) 497-8675 or for more information visit Blue Willow Bookshop.
  

The topics that will be covered in the workshop include:

•    How to break the Good Girl Glass Ceiling and develop an Inner Resume
•    The Myth of Girls’ Emotional Intelligence
•    How Good Girlspeak May Limit Your Daughter’s Potential – and What You Can Do About it Today
•    As a Good Girl, Your Salary Was Probably Set in the Seventh Grade
•    Good Girls and Criticism: With less and less exposure to honest feedback, girls don’t develop the thick skin they need to weather challenges and take healthy risks.
•    The Curse of the Good Mother: How trying to be a perfect mother sets a destructive example for your daughter.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book for review, but no other compensation. I just think this is a good thing for girls and parents. 

Fashionably Limited, A 15:30 Update

For those following along in my 15:30 fashion challenge (that's wearing only 15 pieces of clothing ALL MONTH) I suppose you might like an update. Now that we are halfway through the month, I can honestly say I'm tired of this challenge. I do look longingly at the rest of my closet full of color. But it is sometimes nice to have limited choices. I can get ready for things faster and generally feel pulled together.

For instance, this is what I wore last Friday to the Houston Social Media Breakfast. I liked how the shoes looked with this outfit a lot, but I didn't realize how bad they are for walking on broken, jagged sidewalks in the city.

An aside: I can't believe how big and old my child looks in this photo. The babyhood is entirely gone. He turned six this week and lost his first tooth. While I was gone at a conference for the day, I might add. *sob*

Also I did kind of cheat twice so far. Once was for a photoshoot I was doing for my friend's band. I knew we'd be working in kind of a dirty location and as a photog I'd be getting down on the ground, so I needed jeans but not my good designer jeans. And I didn't want to ruin any of my tops either, so I just grabbed a t-shirt. Then the next day I did a charity walk and my team was wearing purple. I did use the shorts from my 15 pieces but naturally I had to add in a purple shirt.

This is what I wore to church last week, as a futile attempt to usher in fall.  It is, in fact, mid-September and so I figured whites and pastels were over and it was time to break out the black. Alas, I was extraordinarily toasty in this.

Then there was this slightly more casual ensemble, which I think I just wore to Target. Complete with the purse I made myself when I had a momentary flash of craftiness. Love these shoes, but they are not as comfortable as they appear. 

Yesterday I went to the incredible Interactive Strategies Conference here in Houston. It was great and I'll say more about that in another post. At the end of the night my sweet friend Maggie pointed at me and said she wanted to steal my whole entire outfit. I was wearing the black patterned top shown above, the gray Michael Kors pants shown above, the same black heels shown above, and my awesome new Stella and Dot necklace. So that was a nice compliment and made me feel a bit better about the whole 15:30 project. 

For more fashion inspiration, check out the daily 15:30 outfits of my friend Pam and the originator of the project, Felicia. 

And find more Fashion Friday posts over at Musings of a Housewife and Girlymama.

WMFW - Shutterfly Photo Printing {Giveaway}

If you know anything about me at all, you know I take a lot of pictures.  I keep my camera within reach most every day, and I try to capture the changing faces of kids often. At least weekly.  But I am not a scrapbooker...at all. I don't get into cutting and gluing and making pretty albums. However I do print the vast majority of my photos and put them into albums, because they don't do anyone any good sitting on my harddrive. 

I happen to love Shutterfly.com for printing my photos. I learned early on that printing at home is just not economical, especially in the huge quantity of photos I take. Not only do I love Shutterfly's print prices, I love creating photobooks and calenders and holiday cards as well. I started creating an annual family calender in Shutterfly about four years ago and we give out fifteen of them every Christmas to our family members. My grandmother, in particular, freaks out over it.  She has never used a computer and can't comprehend how I could make such an amazing thing. I put faces over birthdays and anniversaries, which makes it easier for me to see what's coming up.

I also create our annual holiday cards, which get mailed to more than fifty friends, in Shutterfly.  I've done a lot of price shopping and I always come up pleased with their selection of holiday designs and prices.  Last year we switched from the glossy photo Christmas cards to a beautiful heavyweight card and I adored it.  They always have specials and discounts on various things like photobooks and notecards.

Since I love Shutterfly so much, I have decided that my FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY on this here six year old blog will be for ten free Shutterfly 5x7 flat stationary cards.  And since you all rock so much, I'm giving these away to THREE random commenters.  All you have to do is leave me a comment.  I'd love it if you'd share whether you've ever created something cool in Shutterfly or not. Contest closes at midnight Tues. I'll draw three winners from Random.org on Wed.

Disclosure: In exchange for this post I will also be receiving the free notecards. But seriously, I have used this service extensively.

Life-giving God-breathing Hope

I sit here this afternoon amazed by my God. I wonder how He works sometimes, why He waits to make things happen, to blow my mind with His goodness. I'm nearly 35 and I've known Him my whole life, and yet now...just now am I really learning and experiencing His grace and love and His heart for His world. How did I not see it before?

I grew up in a Christian family, pursuing the American dream. I went to a premier Christian college prep school, getting a solid foundation in the Word every day and getting a great education as well. I was encouraged to pursue my engineering degree, graduating with honors, getting married and buying a not-so-little house so we could start a family. I've lived a life of comfort.

There's a big world out there and it is broken. I've been sheltered from it, for the most part, though I knew it existed. But now I am seeing God's redemptive power in action...not just philosophically as it always has been in the past. It's not just about the saving of souls for an eternal life in Heaven. I'm seeing God redeeming His fallen world bit by bit, in the here and now. 

People's eyes are opening to poverty, and I weep when I read the stories of the Compassion bloggers who are experiencing God in the ghetto. I'm learning that there are no ordinary people where God is concerned...He can place a God-sized dream in anyone's heart that is willing to listen. I'm learning to listen, first and foremost.

What's amazing to me is it is not just through blogs and people I only know distantly.  Last night a group of us from my own church with a vision and a burden on our hearts met to begin a journey towards our own God-sized dream.  One where we can use our lives of privilege to the benefit of the least of these.

I'm pretty much done fighting the culture war in America. (Sorry family.) I'm ready to get my hands dirty in real ways. I'm ready to love on the orphans, the single moms, the gay teens, the hurting and broken.

Top Ten Cities To Visit

I have a bad case of wanderlust. I've talked about it before, but I really just love to go and see new places. In my life I've been incredibly blessed to travel a lot, both for my job and for fun. So I thought I'd share my top ten favorite cities that I have visited.

1. Capetown, South Africa. Beautiful and exotic.

2. Paris, France. The epitome of sophistication.

Table Mountain, Capetown, SA

3. New York, New York. I am such a city girl, and this city truly never sleeps.

4. New Orleans, LA. The FOOD. The music. The architechture. Amazing.

5. Philadelphia, PA. How could I not mention my hometown? One word: History.

6. Boston, MA. Unique charm.

7. Chicago, IL. So much cool.

8. Edinburgh, UK. Like a fantasy world.

9. Copenhagen, Denmark. Incredibly gorgeous people.

10. Florence, Italy. Art on steroids.

Now tell me your favorites and why. Please?

Twitterlicious

Beach sunrise-0161
Originally uploaded by Mainline Mom

That's a word my friend Jenna coined (well at least I heard it from her first) a couple weeks ago at our regular photography meetup. Despite having several siblings that are social media rockstars, she said she's had trouble figuring out how to effectively use Twitter. It takes a bit of time and practice, no doubt. For some people...networking savvy extroverts I expect, it comes rather naturally. I didn't fully see the benefit till I started meeting people in real life who were avid social media users. That was a couple years ago.

My use of Flickr has certainly died off a bit. I alternate between putting every decent shot I have up there as a means of archiving them online and trying to be more selective so as get better feedback from my photographer friends. I haven't gotten much feedback at all there lately, probably because I've stopped submitting photos to groups and commenting as much on other people's photos. In many ways that's exactly like blogging. You have to give to the community to get anything out of it.

Speaking of community, I have been very busy offline since school started. I can't believe the amount of papers, forms and emails I get from Nathan's school. It really is overwhelming. I do want to volunteer for things but there are so many opportunities it's hard to see the forest through the trees. I've met many new friends in the neighborhood due to walking to school every day, which is a plus.

We're also plugging in at church a lot more. Trying to anyway. We finally took the class necessary as a first step towards getting baptized, which is really a first step towards becoming members. Now we're supposed to write our testimonies and schedule a date. I admit I'm having a bit of trouble getting excited about what is supposed to be a celebratory event. I've been a Christian for thirty years and have publicly confessed my faith over and over, so this does feel like a hoop to jump through to me. I know that's not how my church intends it.

We're also hosting a new lifegroup at our house tonight, which I'm excited about. We've been looking for the right lifegroup to join for over two years, but have dragged our feet. Most meet on Sundays, which Mike didn't like because of NASCAR. Then there's the whole childcare issue. Seems like things are falling into place nicely now.

Also there are not one, but two Bible studies a week we are thinking of joining. The marriage one meets Sunday mornings, like a Sunday school class. That would mean extending our family time at church on Sundays. Then there are a variety of studies to pick from on Tuesday nights. We might do Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class this year. We never felt like we needed it in the past because we have no debt, but Mike thinks we need help in the whole budgeting and saving area. He's probably right :)

Fashion Friday, Accessories Edition!

If you're a regular reader of my fashion Friday posts, you know I'm in the midst of a super hard but fun fashion challenge, the 15:30.  I'm wearing the same fifteen  pieces of clothing all month and not buying a single stitch of clothing until October. But that means a ton of accessorizing! So I have allowed myself to buy a number of fabulous new accessories.

Yesterday my neighbor had a Stella and Dot jewelry trunk show. I recently learned of their stylish accessories from my fashionable friend Susan, so I was eager to go check out the offerings. I first perused their website and saw that they are indeed pricier than my jewelry standby, Premier Designs. But their look is significantly more modern and hip.


I took some video but unfortunately the first half didn't come out. You can see in the photo above the necklace I ended up buying, as well as the gray flower brooch to go with it. It can be worn at several different lengths, with and without either of the two brooches. I consider that kind of versatility a good investment.



Also this week I bought this gorgeous multi-color two strand necklace...on clearance at Target!

And I got these super hot black suede booties on super clearance too...no idea why they aren't marked down online yet. Plus a few earrings, some pink rain boots, a polka dot umbrella (it was monsooning here due to Tropical Storm Hermine when I bought this stuff!) and a purple cloche.  Yeah, I was thinking accessories!  My friend Pam, the Accessory Whore, would be so proud.

And now that I'm on a roll with buying belts again...I found a stunning Michael Kors leopard fur belt on Rue La La that I decided to splurge a bit on.

So there you have it. I haven't actually saved any money yet during this 15:30 challenge, but my focus has definitely shifted. I definitely feel more pulled together when I'm dressed for the day in something from my now tiny wardrobe, because I put extra effort into the shoes and jewels, etc.

Have you recently splurged on a pricier clothing or jewelry item that you consider to be a good investment?

Time for Another Photography Thursday

   

Need a little inspiration for your week?

Super Easy Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe!

An attractive way to keep the dip warm.

This week I've got college football on the brain. So continuing in my blogging theme, I thought I'd share with you another super easy dip recipe (perfect for eating while watching football) I got from my neighbor Dawn, back in Pennsylvania. I tried this at one of her many Premiere Designs jewelry parties and it was so good I asked for the recipe. It's SO easy!

The key is finding a jar of Tostitos Creamy Spinach dip.  Then you get a jar of marinated artichoke hearts. You only need about four of those yummy little artichoke hearts, and you chop them up coarsely and mix them in with the spinach dip. You can add a bit of mayo if you want to make it even creamier, about a 1/4 cup. Then mix in a bit of shredded cheddar cheese, about a 1/4 cup. Put it all in a small baking dish and top it with a little more shredded cheddar. Then bake it at about 325 for maybe 15 to 20 minutes...till the top is nice and bubbly. Voila! Yummy hot spinach artichoke dip, perfect for your next football or bunco party.

Easy recipes like this one are What Works for Me!

Top Ten Reasons To Love College Football Season

1. Tradition. The history of college football goes WAY back, and teams don't move to another city when they aren't making enough money. For example, Penn State football goes back to somewhere around 1887. Coaches generally stick around a lot longer too...Joe Paterno has been coaching the Nittany Lions since 1950.

2. Loyalty. When you spend four of the most formative years of your young life at a university, in general you become fiercely loyal to it, including its sports teams. Careers take people all over the country, but they will remain fans of their school's football team for life. Few pro teams inspire this kind of location-independent loyalty.

3. Bands. My favorite part of a Penn State football game is watching the Blue Band take the field and go through their standard pre-game routine. As much as I hate to admit it, Ohio State's drum and bugle corps with their script Ohio is pretty cool.  Marching band kids practice a LOT and require real dedication, with very little public affirmation.

4. Fight songs. College fight songs are awesome, especially when they are really catchy like Wisconsin's or Notre Dame's. It's fun to make up words to your rival's fight song like we have for Michigan. Ever since our oldest was a newborn we have sung the Penn State fight song to our kids before bed at night. Now they request it.



5. Rivalries. There is much debate about what makes a rivalry. Sometimes it is obvious, like Ohio State and Michigan who play each other in the last game of the season every year, forever. But more often it is less obvious, like why are Penn Staters thrilled to be playing Nebraska every year now that they've joined the Big Ten? The history between the two teams makes for a potentially bitter rivalry. We love to hate our college football rivals.

6. Mascots. The Nittany Lion, the Wisconsin Badger, the Florida Gator. They are lovable and cute and add a festive spirit to the games. And underneath the suit is a super hard working college kid who does it for love of his team and certainly not for money.

7. School colors. Much more than professional sports teams, school colors are loved and integrated into all kinds of wardrobes...fashionable and not-so-much.  Visit the university co-op and you'll find a wide variety of items in burnt orange, blue and white, green and gold, maize and blue...you name it.

8. Underdogs and little guys, cinderella stories and sleeping giants. Since its not about how much money these teams can pay the players, you never quite know which team will win out in a given season. No team has a huge cash advantage like some do in the pros. With so many teams and conferences and non-conference games, polls and rankings change like crazy from week to week and year to year. It's fun to cheer for non-BCS teams like TCU or Boise State who go undefeated and threaten to mess up the insane system college football has for determining a national champion.

9. Quantity. The sheer number of teams and conferences means that every weekend in the fall there are a billion games to watch. Saturdays (and now Thursdays, Fridays, even Mondays?) are packed with games for your viewing pleasure and joining a group pick 'em game makes it fun to watch and track games other than your own team.

10. Tailgating. I admit that not all schools excel in this area they way Penn State does. But on home football Saturdays, the cow pastures surrounding Beaver Stadium become a sea of RV's and trucks with grills, lawn games and plenty of beverages. It's an atmosphere of festivity and community that even visiting team fans can enjoy. There's nothing like it, and it's what I like best of all about college football.