The angst of a summer without Cowboys.

As it were, we would be less than 30 days away from training camp. As it stands, who the heck knows if there will even be such a thing. (Unless of course we all ditch the NFL for Pop Warner.) In lieu of contaminating the world with my angry opinion on the lockout, I have chosen to focus my energy on memorable and season changing moments of training camps past.

And the winners are....

#10. Ratliff/Colombo duke it out. On film.

# 9. Dez suffers an ankle strain during his very first week of camp. He performed well throughout the season but, boy, wasn't that an ugly precursor to an injury plagued year.

# 8. Tuna moving camp back to Cali, which means.....ROAD TRIP!

# 7. Speaking of said road trip, seeing, in person, Quincy throw and dodge bullets like a pro and thinking, "This guy might be really good." And he was. Just better at illegal stuff than football.

# 6. My picture, with Willis, in front of Bob Lilly's Super Bowl duds.

# 5. T.O. donning a bike helmet and a Lance Armstrong Team jersey while on the stationary bike. I got his humour at that moment and have liked him ever since.

# 4. Switzer packs some loaded heat at DFW airport. Those OU boys just ain't that smart. ;)

# 3. Cartwright's rendition of the day Landry moved Mel to offense. Three and out and a validated plane ride home for Thomas Wade.

# 2. Herschel returns! (Btw, he also returned a kick for a 90 something yard td against the Jags the next season and I was there!)

And finally, the most memorable/notable training camp moment for Super Fan Shan........

# 1. Summer '95, at St. Ed's, Charles Haley hit the sled facing me on the other side of a 4 foot chain link fence and his sweat got all over me. I said, "Hey Charles!" He said, "Hey."

Three of hearts

For a pretty long time our little family has been Aaron, me and a bunch of feathered and furry babies. Some with hooves, some with claws, some with paws. Now our family will be three humans together with the aforementioned motley crew. Yep! We're having a baby! Small Ferrell is due in early January. I am 12 weeks along and peering down 2nd trimester lane. It seems more and more official every day but way more so since Sunday, when we told my parents and then again on Monday, when AF told his mother. Today I told some friends and the rest of my family. I am so excited. Aaron is, too. I am also scared about so much. Getting huge is one cause of freak out. Followed by permanent skin damage. I won't even mention the things that cause me shortness of breath over delivery. I am sure it's the same for all women and so I am insignificant in my mental state. However! Once it is happening to you, it causes your pulse to race and you suddenly ask the same questions women have been asking for years but now the answers scare the shizz out of you. Beyond that, of course I am scared that the baby will have any sort of trouble. I try very hard not to think that way or go there at all but there are moments when it creeps into my mind. I do daydream about what the baby will look like. I hope it is like Aaron. He has beautiful features. Mostly, though, I am happy and content. I am not overly anxious about the nine months being over. Experiencing all that my body does in order to produce this little person has been incredibly interesting and actually pretty fun. I am glad that we get almost a year to prepare our minds, home & lives for this happy change. I am grateful we're not like chickens. 28 days later, you have a baby hatching out. That is not nearly enough time. Cheers (with water) to expecting!