Highlights of my year - 2012

Just some of the fun times I had being "just me - alive"

I love weather especially snow, and January didn't disappoint. We usually get northeast winds and our snow all blows away or drifts when we get snow here, 

so a flat sticking snow this year was extra nice.

.We can't get in enough birding trips, and in February since it was a Snowy Owl flight year we were determined to find them, and we did - in British Columbia - Boundary Bay.

The best news of the year was that my calf injury completely healed and by March I was able to resume many of the activities that I love.

also in March I was able to watch my Granddaughters for my daughter and son in law while they went to Hawaii for a week. While with them I taught them to sew with a sewing machine. Here are some of the projects they choose to make. Pretty good, I think!

Lora learned straight seams & made a blanket for her stuffed tiger.

Ruby made a Kimono for her Pandy bear

Skylar wanted to make a quilt for her bed.

In April I started training with Bellingham fit, a group that guarantees they will get you trained enough to run and finish a marathon. Since I'd been injured and hadn't run a marathon in 26 years I  thought that would be a good welcome back to running goal.

In June my daughter took me to a pottery studio for a one day lesson as a birthday gift. Here we are together - ready or not!

Thank you Melissa, such a fun day. Here's my finished pieces, I was really pleased with the green bowl, turned out rather nice. 

Summertime at our house means being busy in the vegetable and flower gardens. We get to freeze, can, dry etc. our vegetables, berries and fruit. I planted two things this year that haven't done so good in our garden in the past and was really pleased with them. Our sunflowers and dahlias finally got enough sun to actually grow this year. Enjoyed them so much -

I September I ran my marathon. Bellingham fit came through on their guarantee, I ran and finished.

In November I got to help with the aid support for my dad's 80 mile run for his 80th birthday.

Happy New Year! 

Are you a 12th man?

 I am a Seahawks fan. They give partial credit of their wins to their fans, known as the "12th man", now known as 12's -  *see update below 

The following information is from this article on Wikipedia - 
(12th man (football) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_man_%28football%29

Effects
The effects of the "12th man" vary widely, but can be put in two categories. The first is simply psychological, the effect of showing the home team that they are appreciated, and showing the away team that they are somewhat unwelcome. The second directly relates to the deafening effects of a loud crowd.
In American football, fans are most incited by physical play, especially good plays made by the defense. Additionally, the home team can derive energy from the loud noise of their fans; former American football players have described the feeling of their adrenaline pumping after hearing the fans yell, which is "like you have a reserve energy tank."
The noise of the crowd can have a significant impact on the players on the field. In American football, an extremely loud crowd can prevent the offensive linemen from hearing the snap count. This can have the effect of making the player slower to react when the ball is snapped, and his eventual response may be weaker than normal because each play is begun "with some indecision and doubt." The noise can also prevent players from hearing audibles and can make it difficult for the team's offense to coordinate plays in the huddle. The effect of the noise can often be measured in mistakes, such as false start penalties.
Coaches can take steps to minimize the effect of the crowd noise on their teams. Some American football teams bring large speakers to their practice fields and broadcast loud noises such as jet engines to prepare their teams for the anticipated noise level. Crowd noise tends to diminish after a long lull in play, such as a pause for instant replay. Former NFL player Brian Baldinger speculates that some coaches draw out reviews as part of a coaching strategy to quiet the crowd for their next play.
The New York Giants allegedly asked the NFL to intervene in 2006 when they played the Seattle Seahawks. In their 2005 match up at Qwest field, the Giants incurred 11 false start penalties due to the crowd noise. For the 2006 rematch between the two teams, the NFL sent observers to verify that the Seahawks were not artificially enhancing the noise level. This has caused 2.83 false starts per game, which is the highest in the NFL since 2005. The noise level at Qwest field has been measured at 112 dB.

Use in American football
The term has been used by various American football teams including the NFL's, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Denver Bronco's, Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears in marketing practices in reference to their supporters, though many stopped using the term "12th man" at the request of Texas A&M (the Bears currently use the phrase "4th Phase"). The Seattle Seahawks continue to use the phrase, having settled with Texas A&M out of court after a trademark lawsuit filed by Texas A&M.
The Seattle Seahawks retired the number 12 jersey on December 15, 1984. The tradition of raising a 12th man stadium flag before kickoff, by either season ticket holders or celebrities, began on October 12, 2003.
In 1992, the Buffalo Bills honored their 12th man by inducting them into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame inside Ralph Wilson Stadium. They were inducted because of their loyal support during the team's early 90's Super Bowl runs.
The Indianapolis Colts honored their 12th man by inducting them into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor in 2007.

Texas A&M trademark issues and Seattle Seahawks lawsuit
*as of August 2015 we are no longer the 12th man, but we are now the 12's. It looks like Texas A&M got their way (http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/seattle-seahawks-12th-man-controversy-texas-am-081515). The term "12th Man" is used non-exclusively to represent the Texas Aggie fans. Intellectual property laws recognize certain common law uses in trademark dispute. In spite of the fact the term originated with another university, an official registration of the mark was filed by Texas A&M (U.S. Reg. No. 1948306) in December 1989 and the application was approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in September, 1990. According to statements made by Texas A&M officials, they sent requests to stop using the phrase to the Seattle Seahawks (2004, 2005), Buffalo Bills (undated), and the Chicago Bears (undated). Both the Bills and the Bears responded to the requests stating they would no longer use the phrase, however the Seahawks did not respond to the request.
In January 2006, Texas A&M filed suit against the Seattle Seahawks to protect the trademark and in May 2006, the dispute was settled out of court. In the agreement, Texas A&M licensed the Seahawks to continue using the phrase "12th Man" in exchange for financial compensation along with public acknowledgement by the NFL franchise as to Texas A&M's ownership of the phrase.

^{GO SEAHAWKS}

^{BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER, LOUDER!!!!}