#arizona hard cowboy cocktail

[auraeseer]

I hard it through the watermelon vine . . .

[atreegrowsinnorthnywrites]

A little v-day love story

I was on my second helping of Dad’s infamous enchiladas when my older brother, Sam, clapped his hands together and declared, “We’re going out!”

My fork clattered to the half-eaten plate and I gave him a stern shake of my head.

“Come onnn, Em,” Sam whined, precariously tipping back his chair so it hovered on two legs. “You can’t sit around and mope forever. Silas and Sean will come too.”

I looked to my two other older brothers with a challenging raise of my eyebrow as Dad leaned forward and cuffed Sam over the head. 

“Hell no I’m not,” Sean said without hesitation. All four legs of Sam’s chair returned to the ground with a disappointed thud. “I love you and I’m here for you, Em, but no.”

I chuckled at my eldest brother’s immediate reaction. With a family of his own, and an hour and a half drive back to Tucson, I was not surprised in the least. Silas’s lips were pursed and he actually appeared to be considering. 

“Just say no,” I muttered as Sam egged him on. 

“I have to text Paige,” Silas said slowly, “but if she doesn’t mind.”

“YES!” Sam pumped his fist triumphantly. “Dad?”

I looked to our patriarch, mid-lift of his beer to his lips, who snorted. “I’ll pass, but so thoughtful of you.” I stifled laughter at Sam’s disappointed face. 

“Alright, Em. Go get ready.” 

“I’m not done eating?”

My plate disappeared with a quick swipe of Sam’s hand and he waved me away with the other. “You are now.” 

---------------------------------------------------------

An hour later we were pulling out of the long driveway that led to Dad’s ranch. I was wedged in the back seat of Silas’s truck between his work boots and tools, Chattahoochee blaring through the speakers, Sam and Silas arguing about the best bar in Bisbee on a Friday night, and it hit me this was the first time I had ever gone out with my brothers. 

If I thought about it more, it wasn’t that surprising. After the divorce-court mandated summers in Arizona with my dad and brothers had ended my senior year, I never came back for an extended period again. My mom, my friends, and college were all back in Michigan. Once I met Thomas my sophomore year at Michigan State, I had spent my holiday weekends with his family in Chicago instead of visiting my own. 

“You need more air, Em?” Silas asked from the front seat, smiling at me in the rear view. 

“I’m good,” I murmured back, a wave of guilt flooding me. 

Guilt that reminded me the five years of my life I had spent on Thomas had been a waste, and when the engagement and subsequent wedding had been called off, it had been my dad and three older brothers who had welcomed me home. It was my dad and brothers who had no judgement or questions. 

“You better not sulk all night,” Sam warned, whipping around and eyeing me warily. 

“I won’t.” I crossed my arms and scowled. 

“Good.” 

It had been three months since I had broken down in sobs at a dinner with Thomas and proclaimed I couldn’t marry him. Though I would die before admitting aloud any of my brothers were right, it was indeed time to get out of the house.  

After Silas parked the truck in downtown Bisbee, we made our way down the string-light filled main street toward a packed bar with live music. Wafts of cigarette smoke, and definitely weed, greeted us outside the door. Silas and Sam shuffled me inside, pushing passed bodies to inch our way towards the bar. The crowd was far more eclectic than I would have guessed for my western brothers, with a band that sounded more like folk rock than country. 

“What’ll it be?” Sam shouted over the music.

“A margarita,” I yelled back. “Spicy, if they can.”

He gave me a thumbs up and approached the bar while Silas waved to a group of guys from across the bar that had recognized him. During my summers on dad’s ranch, the only friends I ever really made were friends of my brothers, but I had not seen any of these guys since high school. The band played the final notes of their song and the crowd cheered enthusiastically as they announced a short intermission. Then I heard a high-pitched whistle.

“Ho-ly shit.”

I turned at the curse and came face-to-face with a brown haired, short-bearded, six-foot-or-so man wearing a white t-shirt, dark jeans, and vans. I squinted, and then he said my name.

“Emmeline Collins.”

There was only one person I had ever heard drag the “i” in my name that way.

“Lane?”

My stomach was in my throat. I remembered, very clearly, the last time I had ever spoken to Lane Diaz. He was smiling despite my memory, his right hand wrapped around a bottle of Corona and his left in the pocket of his jeans.

“Didn’t recognize me?” He asked with a laugh, and I debated admitting the truth. He looked great. Better, actually. But his southern accent had faded, and his cowboy look from all the years romping around the ranch with Sam was gone.

“Diaz!” Sam cried as he approached with two bottles in one hand and my cocktail in the other. He distributed the drinks for Silas and me, and then gave Lane a hug. “What’s up, man?”

“Just getting reacquainted with Em.” I frowned. Were we though? “Y’all didn’t mention your little sister was back in town.”

Sam looked down at me and then back to Lane. “Oh, right! You two haven’t…since…oh...right.” Sam took a long pull of his beer, and I stared him down the entire drink.

“Weekend visit to see the family?” Lane asked politely.

“Uhm,” I sipped my margarita for courage. A bite of jalapeño, just the way I liked it. “No. I’m uh, here for the summer.”

“Just like when we were kids,” Lane observed. I took another drink.

“Oh, hey!” Silas announced loudly, moving towards the crowd, “I see uhm...yeah I’ll be over here.” 

Silas hurried out of sight, but when Sam went to follow, I dug the heel of my sandal down into his foot.

“What’s it been? Six years?” I asked Lane, taking a third sip and willing the alcohol to hit quickly.

“Seven in August, actually.”

Oh, he remembered.

“I’m going to let you two catch up,” Sam declared bluntly, extracting his foot from under my heel through gritted teeth and patting my shoulder as he walked by. The band was returning to the stage. Lane nodded to a pair of empty seats that had just vacated next to a window, on the far side of the bar from the band. I was trapped and agreed with a jerky, awkward nod.

“You look as surprised to see me as I am to see you,” He noted as we sat down.

“My brothers didn’t mention you were still around,” I replied. I was not entirely surprised he was, considering the rate of people who never leave a small town, but Lane had always seemed different. It was what had attracted me to him all those years ago.

“I moved back last summer,” He shared as the band started up again.

“Where were you before?” I asked over the growing sound.

“Army.”

Now, that, I did not expect. We had talked about going to college together on the west coast before everything happened.

“And you?” He asked, “What are you doing here?”

The question was edged with a coolness I deserved. His face was serious, his warm, brown eyes watching me intently. I did not want to rehash my screwed up, disappointing life with my ex-boyfriend, of all people.

“Another drink, hon?” A waitress asked from behind and I realized I had drained the cocktail in my hand.

“Yes,” I agreed quickly, “Margarita with jalapeño.”

Lane chuckled as the waitress walked away.

“What?” I asked him defensively.

“Why am I not surprised Em Collins’ drink of choice is tequila and spice?”

Ouch.

“The same reason I’m not surprised yours is Corona. What are you on vacation in Rocky Point?” I scoffed.

“You know I asked for a Pina Colada, but they gave me this instead.”

I laughed, and his stoic expression split into the friendly grin I had seen when he first caught sight of me in the bar.

“How long were you in the Army?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. He had a knowing look on his face, aware that I had dodged his question, but polite enough not to call me out. Yet.

“Four years.”

The waitress returned with my drink, and I made sure to put it on Sam’s tab.

“Good for you,” I replied, “Thanks for your uh…service.”

Lane cringed and took a sip of beer while I briefly contemplated throwing back my entire drink so I could at least claim my awkwardness was from blacking out.

“So, where’s your fiancé?” He asked. 

I froze mid sip of my drink and looked up at him. We had not been friends on social media since my freshman year of college when a few months into dating Thomas I did an inventory of old photos and took down all of those with Lane and removed him as a friend. A little dramatic, thinking back on it. 

“How did you…”

“Sam and I are still friends, Em.”

Duh. My stupid brother had probably told him ages ago. The alcohol was starting to go to my head, making me light and loose-lipped. I didn’t even know why I was skirting around this. I had nothing to prove to Lane Diaz. 

“I broke off the engagement a couple months ago. We’re not together.”

It was the most abrupt way I had said it yet. It felt painfully final. Despite my boldness, I could not look at Lane’s face and so I followed it with a shrug and stared out the window.

“Damn. I’m sorry.” Lane said gently. 

“It was for the best,” I said quickly, glancing at him and seeing furrowed eyebrows, “Trust me.” 

“Doesn’t make it any less hard,” He noted. No, no it did not.

“It sucks, but what do you do,” I replied pitifully, taking yet another drink.

“Is that why you’re back?” He pressed. Lane was never scared to push me. I remember that about our two summers together. He always asked the questions I did not want to answer. Challenged the things I thought and believed. 

“Part of it,” I admitted, “Honestly, uhm...I’m having a bit of a quarter-life crisis.”

“I see.”

“I knew my dad would be more understanding...”

A look of recognition crossed Lane’s face and he winced for me. I had almost forgotten our daily phone calls nearly every night of my junior year.

“How’d your mom take it?” He raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You’re a jackass,” I said with a flourish of my straw, flicking droplets of my drink in his direction. “Because you know exactly how well she took it.”

He coughed on his drink of beer and we both broke into laughter.

“Still a little high strung then?”

“A little?”

“Worse?” Lane gaped.

“After I told her we broke up, she called me back and said I needed to beg for Thomas’s forgiveness. Tell him I was having mental health issues or I would fracture my future.”

“Jesus.”

I finished the rest of my second margarita at the memory of my mother’s shrill voice on the phone. We had spoken once since, and that conversation had been even worse.

“How’s your ma?” I asked, desperate to change the topic.

“She’s good. She was sick last year, but she’s feeling better.” He paused at the look of my face, and I bit my lip to keep from asking more. I had my assumptions with the smoking habit his mom, Eileen, had back then. “She would love to see you.”

He placed emphasized on the word love, and I looked away, uncomfortable at the very thought of going back to Lane’s childhood home where we used to hang out alone when his mom was working nights. Lane seemed to regret the statement and drained the rest of his beer. Regardless of my discomfort, I was not heartless.

“I’d love to see her too,” I added, and Lane relaxed. When his tense shoulders fell, I noticed how much more muscular he was than when we were kids. His brown skin wasn’t as tan anymore though, so he must work indoors. My eyes subtly trailed down to his hand, where I noted no ring on any fingers.

“Another round?” The waitress asked and Lane opened his mouth to answer, but instead gestured to me to decide.

“Sure,” I agreed, and she winked at me, obviously assuming we were on an early date. 

“You don’t have to,” Lane said. “I understand if you rather go find your brothers.”

Maybe it was the tequila, or maybe it was pure curiosity, but I shook my head. “No, this is…nice.”

He gave me his iconic frown smile I remembered well. “Well, alright then.”

The waitress returned with our drinks and when he offered up his credit card, I placed my hand over his and smiled sweetly at her, “Put them both on Sam Collins’ tab. That’s S-A-M.” 

When the waitress walked away to do just that, I realized my hand was still on top of Lane’s, my body angled close enough to his I could smell his minty aftershave. He smiled softly and I dropped his hand, quickly reaching for my third drink. The most sour margarita they had made me yet. My mouth puckered and I shivered as it went down.

“There’s the girl I remember.” I tilted my head with curiosity at his comment and Lane laughed, taking a drink instead of elaborating.

“I’m nothing like that girl anymore,” I declared defiantly. 

“Good,” Lane said, his smiling fading as he set down his beer. His eyes softened, and his voice dropped. “Because that girl broke my heart.” 

[thecollegefootballguy]

2020 Top Games of the Week: Week 10

HEY EVERYBODY! EVERY FBS CONFERENCE IS BACK NOW! We’ve got football wall to wall from morning to night this Saturday and the MAC is playing every team in cross-division games TONIGHT.

It’s a pretty packed week, so the top ten is going to be chock full of interesting games. Yes, it’s Week 10 now according to ESPN even though last week was Week 8. Idk, who really cares as long as the games are being played safely.

Top Ten Games of the Week

10. West Virginia 4-2 (3-2) at #22 Texas 4-2 (3-2)

The Big 12 has dissolved into total chaos with the defeat of Oklahoma State last week. At least half of the league is in a decent position to win the conference and the next month will sort out who actually earned that right. West Virginia has been quietly humming along under the radar until their 37-10 defeat of Kansas State showed that the Mountaineers really can challenge for the league title. Texas of course is hoping that they can rally behind their upset of the Cowboys and make a delayed push for the Big 12 title.

9. Stanford at #12 Oregon

The PAC-12 is finally back and the league is wide open. Oregon is the favorite to repeat as champions but the Ducks of course did lose a bunch of guys to graduation and the draft, including star QB Justin Herbert. Stanford looked like a pushover for most of last year, but many people didn’t take into account the horrific injuries luck the Cardinal suffered. If they’re back to 100% strength, Stanford can give UO the same headaches they’ve given the Ducks for the past decade.

8. Arizona State at #20 USC

Just as Oregon is the favorite in the PAC-12 North, USC is most observers’ pick for the South championship. Of course, we actually have to see how good the Trojans are on the field, and SC welcomes the dark horse favorite to win the division in Arizona State. The Sun Devils had a breakout season last year and are hoping to capitalize while the rest of the conference is in disarray in 2020.

7. Washington at California

Another interesting PAC-12 game between teams aiming to supplant Oregon at the top of the North standings. Washington had a good run from 2016 to 2018 as the top PAC-12 team, but the Huskies couldn’t put all the pieces together and then Chris Petersen unexpectedly retired. Can Jimmy Lake keep the momentum going? Meanwhile, Cal has been quietly building a solid program in the shadow of Oregon and Washington, and last year the Golden Bears finally claimed they Axe from Stanford for the first time in a decade. It’s time to see if the Bears can keep up their improvement.

6. #23 Michigan 1-1 (1-1) at #13 Indiana 2-0 (2-0)

Will this game actually impact the Big Ten East race? Probably not, Ohio State likely has this one in the bag already, but this should still be fun and interesting. Indiana has surprised everybody with a hot start, but how good are the Hoosiers really? We’ll find out if they can beat another team with a large talent advantage. How bad is Michigan? Well, if they lose to Indiana despite a massive talent advantage they could be quite bad.

5. #11 Miami FL 5-1 (4-1) at NC State 4-2 (4-2)

After Clemson and Notre Dame, the ACC race is really very interesting. Miami and NC State have both bounced back from disappointing 2019 seasons and at least the Hurricanes still have a clear path towards the ACC Championship Game or at least the Orange Bowl based on how the top two finish.

4. #14 Oklahoma State 4-1 (3-1) at Kansas State 4-2 (4-1)

Oklahoma State can still easily win the Big 12, the path is wide open. The Cowboys just need to beat all the teams they’re supposed to beat. Can they? Well, they didn’t beat Texas so who’s to say. Kansas State can also win the Big 12, they’re just not playing like they want to with a limp defeat at the hands of West Virginia.

3. #8 Florida 3-1 (3-1) vs #5 Georgia 4-1 (4-1)

Despite Tennessee and Missouri showing flashes of brilliance, once again the SEC East race is going down to Florida and Georgia. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (socially distance) will provide us with the team that will face Alabama for the SEC Championship and the path of the Playoff.

2. #9 BYU 7-0 at #21 Boise State 2-0 (2-0)

Yes I’m putting this game ahead of a top ten matchup, but I think the winner of UF-UGA will lose to Alabama and that will be it. The potential for the winner here is a bit higher in my opinion. BYU is gunning for an unprecedented selection as an at-large non-G5 team into the NY6, and if the Big 12 and PAC-12 both wash out the Cougars are going to be pressing hard for inclusion in the Playoff. Boise State may be the best G5 team if not Cincinnati, so the Broncos can make a big statement themselves for either the NY6 or even the Playoff with a win over Brigham Young.

1. #1 Clemson 7-0 (6-0) at #4 Notre Dame 6-0 (5-0)

Pretty much a Playoff quarterfinal. Clemson and Notre Dame are two of the top teams in the country and the winner here will have a strong command of one of the Playoff spots. Trevor Lawrence isn’t playing which should be a huge problem for the Tigers, though Clemson’s D also looked very subpar against Boston College last week so I think we can finally see the Fighting Irish break through against a top team.

[travelnursebabes]

Road Trip to the Midwest

Day 1, Sat 12/2- Venice, CA—> Tucson, AZ:

We packed up the rest of our little hut (thankfully most of it was done the day before), and magically all of our stuff fit into the Highlander! We even have 6 inches to spare on the top, which gives us plenty of visibility. We left at 8:45am, and the drive to Tucson is 496 miles, or 7.5 hours. The scenery was mostly mountains & deserts, but we were grateful that there was no traffic. We switched off between music and “The Emperor of All Maladies” on tape, but the latter had us both very sleepy... we arrived to Nana & Papa Lautmann’s right at cocktail hour, and were greeted with hugs and gin and tonics. They made a delicious lamb chop dinner and we cheered on their Arizona college basketball team.

Day 2, Sun 12/3- AZ:

We had an amazing breakfast at Nana & Papa’s country club, followed by a fatttt nap for Annette (2+hrs?!). I fixed all of my grandparent’s technology difficulties & cheered on my Packers. We had a fun, competitive round of mini-golf, which everyone participated in, including their dog, Sassy. We enjoyed another cocktail hour at their house and then ate our weight in Mexican food & margaritas at their local restaurant.

Day 3, Mon 12/4- AZ—> Las Cruces, NM:

One more home cooked meal from the grandparents, and we said our goodbyes! Always so sad to say bye to those two <3 Next up is Las Cruces: 292 miles, or 4.5 hours. Our Airbnb was far from being in any “historic downtown”, but it was a roof over our heads. We spent our evening at the movie theater, seeing not one, but 2 movies (Bad Mom’s Christmas & Thor). Dinner at Sonic was our only option before hitting the hay.

Day 4, Tues 12/5 - Las Cruces —> Fredericksburg, TX:

We hopped on the road for our longest drive of the road-trip thus far— 544 miles, or 8 hours. You’d think we had a small child with us, judging on how many bathroom breaks we took. We drove straight thru Fredericksburg to reach our (Annette’s) desired destination: Luckenbach, TX. This tiny dancehall plays a role in country music history, and we thoroughly enjoyed a few beers next to the fire while listening to 5 local cowboys play their guitars and sing. Only a couple of restaurants were open passed 7pm, so our pick to eat at Otto’s German Restaurant was simple. We had delicious bratwursts and veil. Once we got to our bed & breakfast, we were welcomed with a bottle of wine, which was the perfect end to our night.

Day 5, Wed 12/6 - TX —> New Orleans, LA:

We decided to have one more German meal and stopped by the local breakfast joint for an omelette & potato pancakes. Today is our longest leg of the journey— 584 miles, or 9 hours. The driving conditions are less than ideal, and the rain hasn’t let up for a moment. We finally reached our destination, and left our car parked in a lot for the next 2 days. It wasn’t pretty lugging all of our stuff in the freezing cold rain for the 0.4 miles to our Airbnb. Our apartment couldn’t have been cuter! Such a good find in central NOLA. We had a quick turn around and saw a bit of Bourbon street (which had a ton of construction unfortunately) on our walk to our dinner restaurant, Curio. The carpaccio, mussels, ribs, & ribeye were absolutely amazing. We ended our night at 21st Amendment, a cute speakeasy with a very talented jazz band.

Day 6, Thurs 12/7 - NOLA:

We woke up, and what do you know, it was still raining outside. We didn’t let that slow us down though... in fact the cold, wet weather actually lead to a very fun day-drinking day (we’re on vacation, right?!). We started with brunch at Ruby Slippers, whose motto is “you can’t drink all day, if you don’t start in the morning!” Bloody Mary’s and eggs Benedict’s filled our bellies. We checked out the New Orleans Musical Legend’s Park, where we sat outdoors under a heater and Annette made DIY Hot Toddies for us (had to purchase hot teas separately from the bourbon shots). We wandered down Bourbon street and our ears lead us to our next bar, Bourbon Bandstand. Hours passed by while we listened to a fun Blue’s Band, Doc Lovett’s Louisiana Remedy, and took advantage of the 2-for-1 beers. We bar hopped a bit more, trying to soak in all of the amazing talent. Maison Bourbon had a great band and atmosphere. We finally ventured over to Frenchman street and listened to some good tunes at The Spotted Cat. Before we knew it, 11 hours had passed from our first cocktail and meal, and we decided food would be a good call. Dinner at Three Muses was a great end to our night, and we’d highly recommend the bacon dates & the lamb burger sliders!

Day 7, 12/8- NOLA —> Nashville, TN

It wouldn’t be a full New Orleans experience if Annette didn’t try a famous Cafe Du Monde Beignet! We picked up breakfast to-go and hit the road. Next stop, Nashville: 530 miles, or 7.5 hours. Our “Penthouse suite” resembled a college dorm, but the 2 bathrooms/2 bedrooms was key because we had a visitor joining us.... Anna Lautmann (Sam’s older sister)!! A quick turn around and then out the door we were, hoping to soak in as much live music as possible in our quick 36 hour trip. Our first Nashville Uber driver casually dropped that she was Taylor Swift’s middle school Spanish teacher?! Hmm hard to fact check that one, but it got us excited to see who else we may meet in this little town. We started off at Acme Feed & Seed for some dinner & tunes. The rest of the night we wandered down Broadway, drinking beers, tasting moonshine, trying to line dance, and acting like every band’s #1 groupies.

Day 8, 12/9 - Nashville:

“Sleep when you’re dead” is what Anna repeatedly told me as she shook me awake. She wasn’t trying to waste a single moment, and even though only 4hours had gone by since we went to sleep, we were out the door for day 2. Luckily she wasn’t as psycho as to wake Annette up so aggressively, so she met us at our brunch destination, Tavern. The 2-for-1 bloody Mary’s & Mimosas kept us content there for a while. Next we checked out the Country Music Hall of Fame. Back to bar hopping we went, and we came across the most talented band we’ve seen yet at Tootsies. Parker Willingham and Angela Marie.

Day 9, 12/10 - Chicago:

We couldn't leave Nashville without any gifts, so we hit up the Johnny Cash Museum. We also couldn't leave Nashville without brunch, so Sun Diner it was.

About 7 hours later, 477 miles, we arrived in Chicago.

[auraeseer]

Difficult homosexual pugilism . . .

[auraeseer]

Erect bovine male dick butt . . .

[auraeseer]

Man, Go Mucho Hard with your Cowboy Cock and Tail . . . the gayest drink ever.