Higdon Family News
1/8/10- A 3 way tie at the top with Cousin David emerging victorious on the tie breaker over Joe and Jonathan. Ellen won the Pop's Picks trophy. Check out the standings here and the picks here
1/5/10- We have a 3 way tie atop the standings as Jonathan and Frances have moved into a tie with Laura with 19 correct picks. Check out the standings here and the picks here
1/4/10- The Texas Tech win opened the door for people to pass Laura, but clinched the Pop's Picks trophy for Ellen. Check out the standings here and the picks here
1/2/10- A Michigan State win over Texas Tech will assure Laura of at least a tie for the most correct picks. Check out the standings here and the picks here
1/1/10- Laura has opened up a 2 game lead in the standings, and Ellen has a 2 game lead for Pop's Picks. Check out the standings here and the picks here
12/31/09- Finally some separation. Emmie, Tina, and Laura have the lead with 9 correct picks. Ellen is in last with 4 correct picks. Check out the standings here and the picks here
12/30/09- Still a logjam at the top and bottom. Check out the standings here and the picks here
12/29/09- The standings have been updated. Check out the standings here and the picks here
12/27/09- There is a log jam at the top of the standings, with 4 correct picks. It's anybody's game at this point. Check out the standings here and the picks here
12/25/09- Merry Christmas! Charlie has taken the bowl picks lead. In a year full of upsets, 3 people have still not picked a single game correctly, Cousin David, Carol, and Sam. Check out the standings here and the picks here
12/21/09- Happy Birthday John! Jim, Charlie, and Frances have the early lead.
12/20/09- The picks are in except for Eric's. I have posted the spreadsheet for downloading here, and the web version is here.
12/8/09- The bowl pick entry sheet is up. Go ahead and make your picks here.
2/25/09- Happy Birthday Charlie and Frances!!!!
1/7/09- Emmie wins!!! Everyone enjoy the National Championship game that should include Utah. Here are the standings and the picks.
1/6/09- Ellen has locked up the Pop's Picks trophy as Colt McCoy ripped the hearts out of the Buckeye faithful. Tonight, Emmie and Leanne battle it out, rooting for Tulsa and Ball St respectively. Here are the standings and the picks.
1/3/09- So here's how it can play out. If Ball St beats Tulsa, Leanne will win. Charlie could tie her in wins with an Ohio St victory, but Leanne will be closer in points. If Tulsa wins, Emmie will win. For Pop's picks, it comes down to Ohio St vs Texas. A Texas win, moves Patrick to 13 correct picks and clinches Pop's picks for Ellen. If the Buckeyes pull the upset, Patrick takes last place. Here are the standings and the picks.
1/3/09- Leanne has moved into a tie for the lead. Reese can join her and Emmie at the top with a Buffalo win. Check out the standings
1/2/09- Emmie has the lead by herself after Va Tech's win last night, and is in a commanding position. Leanne could move into the lead with a Kentucky and Ball St victory. Ellen and Patrick are battling it out for Pop's Picks. Check out the standings and the picks.
1/1/09- Emmie has moved back into a tie for the lead with David. Check out the standings. The winner of tonight's Va Tech/Cincy game will give one of them the lead.
12/31/08- as 2008 ticks down, David has taken the lead by 2 games.
12/31/08- Cousin David has moved into a tie for first with Jesse, with 4 people sitting 1 game back. Ellen remains mired in last place. Check out the standings. I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year
12/29/08- Frances has moved into a tie with Emmie for first place. Reese, Jesse, Charlie, and Cousin David are all one pick behind. Maybe a move to a new generation winners. Check out the standings, which currently has Ellen in last place.
12/24/08- Emmie has opened up a 2 game lead. Joe, Ellen, and John are tied for last place. Here are the standings. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.
12/21/08- Been a long year of no updates. May have to slim down the site. I'll let you know when I have free time. :) The bowl picks are posted here. The standings are available off of the home page. The downloadable spreadsheet to print out, is available here.(right-click, save target as) Can someone please print a copy for Emmie. Emmie had a great first day, and is in first place after picking all 4 games correctly.
1/8/08- Jesse pulled out the win for the Bowl Picks, finishing only 22 points off of the actual point total for all 32 bowl games. Eric won Pop's Picks. I will post final standings and such.
1/4/08- David pulled into the lead with a Kansas victory, and Eric took the lead for Pop's picks. Check out the standings here, and the picks here. 6 people have a chance to tie David for the lead, but he will at least go to the tie breaker. Eric has clinched at least a tie for Pop's Picks.
1/3/08- Cousin David moved into a tie for first with Carol, one of which will have sole possession of first place after tonight's game between Kansas and Virginia Tech.
1/2/08- Carol is now alone in first place, but has 5 people who are one pick behind and have a chance to catch her. Will & Eric are still tied for last place. Oh, and while the announcement is a little late, Bill has been mathematically eliminated. This will make 8 straight years that he has not run the picks, and not won either. :-)
1/1/08- Carol and John have the lead.
1/1/08- Happy New Year. John and Carol have vaulted into the lead with 17 correct picks. Will and Eric are now tied at the bottom of the standings with 7 correct picks. Check out the picks
12/31/07- Its a 4-way tie at the top of the standings, with Joe, Tina, Carol, and Patrick leading the way. Eric has the slight edge on Will for the Pop's Picks trophy. Have a happy new year everyone.
12/29/07- Patrick has the lead in the bowl picks with 10 correct picks, and only one miss. Eric has the lead for the Pop's Picks trophy, with only 2 correct picks. Check out the picks here, and the standings here.
12/24/07- Small break between games. The full spreadsheet is now posted here for you to download, or view. The standings are still here. On another note, the Pop's Picks trophy was found, and will be updated and passed along for the first time in many years.
12/23/07- We have a 3 way tie atop the standings after 5 games, with Patrick, Rebecca, and John having correctly picked all the games so far. You can check out the standings here. We are waiting on one person to submit their winner for a future bowl game that was missed on the submission sheet. After I have that, I will post the picks.
12/4/07- The bowl picks submission form is online. Go ahead and make you picks by clicking here. Picks are due by December 20th at 9pm.
1/8/07- Reese has won the Bowl Picks on a tie breaker over Patrick and Tina. Check out the standings here, and the picks here.
1/7/07- Soon I will have more pictures, but Patagonia was incredible. Check it out here.
1/7/07- Emmie has clinched the Pop's Picks trophy. Patrick moved into a tie with Tina and Reese for the lead. Check out the standings. Tina and Patrick have the same picks for the final 2 games. Reese has the opposite picks.
1/4/07- Tina and Reese are still holding onto their lead. Patrick has a chance to tie for the lead with a Cincy victory on Saturday. Tina and Reese differ on the final 2 games of the year. The points tiebreaker appears to favor Reese and Patrick at this point. As for Pop's picks, Emmie holds a 1 game lead, but can still be "caught" by Ellen. Check out the picks and the standings.
1/2/07- Tina and Reese have the bowl pick lead. Emmie is the front runner for the Pop's Picks trophy. Check out the picks and the standings.
12/25/06- Merry Christmas. Reese stays perfect atop the standings. Ellen remains perfect at the bottom as well.
12/23/06- Reese is clearly showing Jonathan who is boss, as she is a perfect 6-0 to lead the Bowl Picks standings. Ellen is also perfect, as she has guessed every game wrong so far.
12/23/06- 7 tied at the top of the standings with perfect records, while 4 haven't picked a game correctly yet. Check out the standings.
12/19/06- One game down, and all the picks are in. You can check out the picks by clicking here. You can download the excel spreadsheet by clicking here.
12/13/06- Sorry for the delay, but David & Tina had a second child recently. Jonathan Brooks Higdon, Born 12/1/06, 11:59 AM, 7 lbs. 13 oz., 20.5" tall. You can see a picture here.
12/3/06- Bowl games are set, and the Bowl pick selection page is ready to go. Submit your picks. If you want to download a excel spreadsheet to fill out, you can do so here. I will update it with the picks once they are all submitted.
11/20/06- Long time without posting, but I put some new photos of the Maine house on the site. Check them out here.
1/5/06- Congrats to Joe and Sarah, the winners of the Bowl Picks and Pop's Picks trophies respectively. Also congrats to Bill for finishing tied for 2nd to last with only 13 correct picks. That's less than 50% for those keeping track. Anyone else notice that Bill hasn't won since he stopped running the Bowl Picks? Maybe an investigation into his reign of terror is in order. Check out the final standings and picks.
1/4/06- Sarah has locked up Pop's Picks. If Texas wins tonight, Joe wins. If USC wins, and less than 20 points are scored, Rob will win. If USC wins, and the total points scored in the game is greater than 90, Jim will win. Carol will win with a USC victory, and the total score between 20 and 90. Check out the standings.
1/2/06- With 3 games left, Carol, Jim, Joe, & Rob are tied with 17 correct picks. Sarah has a one game lead over Frances in the race for Pop's Picks. Check out the standings here. With West Virginia up 28-14 in the 2nd quarter, I am not going to make any assumptions, but if Georgia comes back to win, Sarah will be tied by Frances. If West Va holds on, Sarah will have a 2 game lead at the bottom. If Texas beats USC, Joe will win the trophy. If USC wins, it will be a tie at the top between Carol, Jim, Rob, and possibly Laura. Laura sneaks in if Florida St upsets Penn St. If this tie happens, Carol is likely to be the closest to the total points, as Jim would need many points scored, and Rob would need a defensive battle in at least one of the 2 remaining games to have a shot. Laura would need 2 of the highest scoring games in history.Higdon Family News
12/31/05- Joe has the lead, and Sarah leads the race for Pop's picks. Although 4 people are one game off the pace for each trophy, including Bill being one game out of the lead for Pop's picks. Check out the picks and standings. Have a safe and happy new year everyone.
12/30/05- Well, it technically isn't over, but with LSU's big lead, Joe has jumped into the lead, and Sarah has joined Susan in the Pop's picks chase.
12/30/05- Now a 5-way tie at the top with Carol and Rob joining the lead. 3 games left today. Susan has sole possession of the lead for Pop's picks.
12/30/05- Emmie has moved into a tie with Jim & Joe for first place with 10 correct picks. Check them out here.
12/29/05- Sarah has joined the lead for Pop's Picks. Rob fell to 2nd place behind Jim & Joe who finally missed a game last night. Check out the standings or picks.
12/28/05- The picks and standings have been updated with no change to the leaders. Ellen and Susan have joined Frances in the lead for Pop's Picks. Jim, Joe, and Rob remain a perfect 9-0.
12/27/05- I hope everyone had a great holiday. The picks and standings have been updated with no change to the leaders.
12/25/05- Merry Christmas! Joe, Jim, & Rob are tied atop the standings having ridden the favorites to a 6-0 record. Check out the standings..
12/23/05- Its a 4-way tie at the top of the Bowl Picks standings. Jim, Joe, John, and Rob have ridden the favorites to the top. Frances currently leads the chase for Pop's picks, with just one correct, but its a long way to the title game.
12/21/05- The Bowl standings are up.
12/20/05- The Bowl Picks are posted. Good luck to all. If you want to download the picks in an excel spreadsheet, click here.
12/06/05- Time for the bowl picks again. Make you selections here.
7/30/05- I went on a new diet today, sponsored by Denny's Beer Barrel and Pub. Check out my pics here.
2/28/05- More pictures of Reese.
2/12/05- Reese Elizabeth Higdon was born yesterday. Congrats David and Tina. See pictures here
1/8/05- The final standings are posted, as are the picks. Congrats to Patrick and Will. Get well, Emmie.
1/4/05- Bowl pick standings are updated. Here is the simple scenario. Oklahoma wins, Joe wins. USC wins, and the game's total score is less than 15 points, Emmie wins. USC wins, and the game's total score is 15 points or more, Patrick wins. Eric would finished tied for the lead, but lose the tiebreaker, if USC wins.
1/2/05- Well, its almost over. Will has clinched Pop's Picks. If Oklahoma win the National Title game, Joe wins. If USC wins, Emmie, Eric, & Patrick will finish in a 3 way tie. Patrick will win the tie breaker unless less than 44 points are scored in the final 2 games combined, in which case, Emmie would grab the trophy for the 2nd time in 3 years. Check out the standings, and the entire pick sheet.
1/1/05- Happy New Year! The standings have been updated after the big Tennessee win.
1/1/05- Emmie has moved into a 1st place tie with Sam with 12 correct picks. 4 people are sitting one game back. As far as Pop's picks, Jim, Will, and Uncle David are tied for the lead. See the standings. See all the picks.
12/31/04- The standings have been updated through Dec 30th. Wow, Texas Tech beat Cal. Nice pick Susan! Sam has the lead by 2 games. See everyone's picks.
12/30/04- Sam still has the lead, with Jim holding the lead for Pop's picks. See the standings. 4 more games today. See the picks.
12/29/04- Sam retains the lead by one game over Joe, with Jessie and Rob 2 behind. Speaking of 2, Will and Jim are tied for last with 2 correct picks. See the standings here. Or see all the picks here.
12/27/04- Sam has the lead in the bowl picks. Check out the standings.
12/25/04- Merry Christmas to all. Check out the standings.
12/24/04- Sam, Jessie, and Joe are tied for the lead with 4 out of 5 picks right. See the picks. And now, see the standings.
12/23/04- A few people are 3 for 3 in bowl picks. Check them out.
12/14/04- The Bowl Picks have been posted. Check them out here. Good luck to everyone, except Bill. :-)
12/10/04- Sorry, been a busy week. The Bowl Pick submission form is on the website. Click here to go to submit your picks.
10/13/04- David reports that he and Tina are having a girl. Everything is looking good so far. The due date is still March 4th, 2005. Sarah left for Mexico today, and will be driving for 4 days before arriving in Monterrey and starting her first real job. Good luck to her. As for me, I had a deck and patio put in my back yard but have yet to enjoy it. It really opened up the house though, so you will have housing options if you come to the DC area to visit. I cannot offer the same quality of food, bed, or drink, but for the time being my TV is larger, and you will get the same warm hospitality. Oh, and what a win over Georgia. That certainly put the smile back on a bunch of us. With baseball back in DC, all I need is for the Redskins to play like the old Joe Gibbs' teams, and for the NHL to settle their labor squabbles, then all will be right in my world. That is, until November 2nd, which is too close to call, but I think you all can guess who I am rooting for. (Hint: I want everyone to vote, but not John) :-) Finally, a picture of Charlie in the Boy Scouts.
7/26/04- Wow, its been a long time since I posted any news. I think this site needs a revamp. I may get to it in the next decade. But none-the-less, here is the big news from Cousin David, "Anyway, if you haven't heard yet, I've got some new news. Tina and I are having a baby. By making Emmie great-grandmother, we are officially leaving all other grandchildren in the dust. So far (2 months in) everything is looking good. No word yet on the gender. We are looking at an early March arrival." Congrats David and Tina. This news just in from Las Vegas, Tina is now the front runner for the Emmie award, with David holding a close 2nd. Sarah, who thought her trip to Knoxville made her a contender, has her odds drop to third best.
1/4/04- Well LSU has taken a share of the National Championship, and Sam has grabbed the Pop's Picks trophy. Check out the final standings. In other news, it was good to hear Emmie is OK, and great to see you all over the Holidays.
1/3/04- Thanks for playing, but with Georgia Tech's big win, I won as well. Emmie will win Pop's picks with an Oklahoma win. Sam will take the big trophy from Bill if LSU wins. Check out my win, I mean, the standings.
1/3/04- Well, it is almost over. If Tulsa and LSU win, Tina will claim the winner's trophy. If Georgia Tech or Oklahoma win, Rob will win the trophy. As for Pop's Picks, if Tulsa and LSU lose, Emmie will win. If Oklahoma or Georgia Tech loses, Sam would win. Check out the standings.
1/2/04- Joe and Rob are tied for the lead with 17 correct picks out of 23. Frances leads Sam by one miss with just 8 correct picks. Check out the standings.
1/1/04- Happy New Year. Joe has a 2 game lead, while Sam and Frances are battling it out for Pop's Picks. See the standings.
12/31/03- decided to update the standings before heading out for NYE. Joe is back in the lead.
12/31/03- Its crowded at the top, as 4 people are tied for the lead with 10 correct picks, and a number of people have 8 or 9 right. Check out the standings.
12/30/03- Emmie, Ellen and Frances have the lead for Pop's Picks with 3 of 10 picked correctly. See the current standings here.
12/27/03- Joe has edged into the lead with 8 of 9 games picked correctly. See the standings here.
12/24/03- Merry Christmas! Ellen has the early lead on Pop's Picks, missing 4 of the first 5 games. A number of people are tied for the lead with all 5 games right. You can see the standings here.
12/18/03- The bowl picks are finally posted on the web. I also have uploaded the Excel document, so if you want to download the file and print it out, click here. Or you can try right-clicking on THIS, and choosing "save target as".
12/7/03- Its that time of year again, and Bowl Picks need to be made. Submit your picks by clicking here.
9/21/03- Once again, a long time between posts. Well, I had the scare of a lifetime during Hurricane Isabel on Thursday, as the giant tree in my front yard came toppling down. It missed my house by about 2 feet. It destroyed my neighbor's house. Thankfully, they were in their basement at the time(10:30pm), or else they probably would not have survived. I was in my basement, and I heard a huge crashing sound, as the house shook. I thought a branch had come through my roof. I came upstairs in the dark (as I had lost power at the time of the tree falling). This is what I found.
5/10/03- Long time, no reporting, David & Tina have bought a home and have sent me some pictures. On a couple of other notes, I have been keeping busy with travel, and am still making improvements on my house. Happy Mother's Day to all the Higdon Family mothers.
1/25/03- Will and I(Sarah) went to the anti-war march on DC last Saturday. The night before we
were up until 4am (so we went on about 5 hours of sleep). That morning it was
cold. I mean colder than it has ever been in DC. It really made us question what the point of going was. Will thought about faking sick so he had a true
reason to stay in his bed. But once we stepped of the metro into the crowd of people carrying signs for peace we knew why it was important to be
there. It was important to show that not all American youth are jaded and apathetic. People do still care about our country even after our government
has resorted to propaganda, lies, and exaggerations to terrify the public. Even after the American people has resorted to violent racism against eastern
European Americans. It was important for me to go to realize that there are still Americans who care and believe that the power of the people is not a lost
cause in this day and age. It was a very powerful day and estimates of the number of people who attended are around 100,000. This is an incredible turn
out for a 17 degree day, even for a warm day. I don't know where you all stand politically on this one but personally I don't want to see Eric go off to die
in a war for power and oil. I hope you all support peace movements in your community. And have an amazing start to 2003.
Love to you all, Sarah Also check
out this website with some amazing photos from protests around the
world. I like the one from Antarctica.
1/4/03- It's official. Bill finished last and he is not happy about it. You can e-mail him at bill@higdonfamily.com to harass him about it. Check out the final standings.
1/2/03- Congrats to Emmie, who came from behind to edge Will for having the most picks correct. With 2 games left she has picked the winner in 18 of 26 games.More importantly, with USC leading Iowa in the third quarter, Bill is on the verge of winning Pop's Picks. Sam can still finish behind Bill if Iowa comes back to win. Go USC!!! Check out the standings.
1/1/03- Will is tied with Emmie with 16 correct picks. They have 2 games chosen differently the rest of the way. Sarah and Eric have a chances to win if they pick the next 3 games correctly. More importantly, Bill is in last place. Lets hope he stays there. I wonder if it is just a coincidence that he is not running the Bowl Picks, and NOT winning. Check out the standings.
12/30/02- Will maintained his 2 game lead, as he and Emmie had both winners today. With half the games gone, Sam has the lead for Pop's Picks. I will try and update this again on New Year's Day. Check out the standings at the halfway point.
12/29/02- Will extended his lead to 2 games, While Ellen has clawed her way into a tie for last. Check out the standings.
12/28/02- Will has grabbed first place away from Emmie, who now shares second place with Laura. Check out the updated standings.
12/27/02- Emmie was dealt her first loss, and now shares first place with Will. Ellen garnered her first win, but still has sole possession of last place. Check out the latest standings.
12/26/02- Emmie continues to lead a charmed life in the Bowl Season, as Tulane pulled out the win. Sam got his first win, leaving Ellen as the only winless competitor. Check out the standings.
12/25/02- Merry Xmas! Emmie still leads the bowl picks at halftime of the Hawaii Bowl, but Tulane is threatening to lose and knock Emmie from the unbeaten ranks. Thanks to Emmie, Tina, Joe, Ellen, Sarah, & Will for all of the wonderful gifts.
12/23/02- Emmie stands alone atop the standings, having gone 3 for 3 so far. Check out the bowl picks standings. A couple of belated things. Happy birthday to John(Sat), and congrats to Patrick who graduated from UT.
12/19/02- Emmie and Eric have the early lead in the Bowl Picks. If you want a paper copy of the picks, download the Excel spreadsheet by clicking here. You can then print it out to your own delight.
12/17/02- The Bowl Picks are posted. Check them out. You won't believe some of the picks. Emmie picked Maryland over Tennessee. I had to double-check that one. I hope everyone who picked Maryland, loses by one game, after Tennessee kicks the Fridge and his Terps back to College Park.
12/9/02- The Bowl games are almost upon us, and you need to submit your bowl picks again this year. Despite Jimmy's moaning, this is much easier for me. Since taking over for the tyrannical Bill Higdon, many changes have been put in place to ease the submission process. Access has never been easier either. And this year, I hope to have a place where you can download the excel spreadsheet to print it out yourself. Make your picks by clicking here. The first game is played Tuesday Dec. 17th, so make your picks soon.
11/30/02- Proof that life has been hectic. I am just getting to the website again. The bowl picks submission form will be posted soon. The number of games has increased again this year, so adjust your point totals accordingly. Finally, Happy birthday Ellen, and Joe.
8/19/02- HEY ROB...CONGRATS ON THE HOUSE...IT LOOKS GREAT...KNOW YOU'LL BE GLAD TO GET MOVED AND SETTLED...JULIE WILL BE JEALOUS I'M SURE...SHE'S STILL LOOKING...PLEASE GIVE EVERYONE A GREAT BIG THANKS FOR MAKING THE TRIP TO MEMPHIS...WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND APPRECIATE EVERYONE MAKING THE EFFORT TO COME...DAVID AND TINA ARE HOME AND HAD A WONDERFUL TIME IN JAMAICA...WE FORGOT TO DRAW FOR CHRISTMAS WHILE WE WERE ALL TOGETHER, SO I GUESS EMMIE WILL HAVE TO PUT HER BRIDGE GROUP TO WORK ONCE AGAIN TO GET THAT DONE...MAYBE YOU COULD PASS THAT ASSIGNMENT ON TO HER...HOPE THE MOVE GOES WELL AND LET US KNOW WHEN YOU'RE HAVING A "HOUSE-WARMING"...........TAKE CARE, LOVE-SUSAN
In response, thanks Susan. Obviously you are very excited about this development, using all CAPS. Very enthusiastic appearance. :) I close on the house in the 30th, so life will be quite busy then. -Rob
8/17/02- Happy Belated Birthday to me. My birthday present to myself is a house. I bought a house in a great location just outside of DC. Click here to see them
8/3/02- All my pictures from David & Tina's wedding have been posted. Click here to see them. Congrats again, and welcome to the family Tina.
7/1/02- David has asked me to pass along this information. There will be golf on Friday, July 26 for any who are interested and in Memphis. It looks like we will be playing a course called the Links at Galloway with tee times starting between 9:30 and 10:30. And A family portrait will be taken at Mullins United Methodist Church on Friday (July 26) after the rehearsal and before the rehearsal dinner. If everyone could be at the church around 6:15 that would be great. Dress for the dinner is business casual (for lack of a better term). Men - pants and golf/dress shirt, Women - something comparable.
6/18/02- I have officially decided to attend David & Tina's wedding based upon this wonderful news from Susan, "THE REHEARSAL DINNER IS A "NO TIES" AFFAIR...SINCE THE DATE IS LATE JULY AND IN MEMPHIS, WE THOUGHT EVERYONE MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE IN MORE CASUAL ATTIRE." Thanks for sparing us all.
6/15/02- Well, as I sat here at work on a Saturday, I realized that I hadn't posted all the pictures of Joe's 60th birthday party. If his memory was better, he would have reminded me :-) Check out all the pictures.
6/13/02- Great news. The biopsy showed no cancer on Emmie's lungs. The only discouraging news is that they don't know what the spots are (infection?), and will have to do another test in 6-8 weeks to see whether they have grown at all.
6/8/02- Will graduated from Field School. See pictures of the event here.
5/28/02- Happy Birthday Emmie!
5/15/02- Ellen got back Sunday night from visiting Sarah in Australia. She reports "I went with my friend, Julie McCarthy who lives in London. It was great fun to see Sarah with all of her Aussie friends. My first event was attending a "footy" match between her college and another college in the James Cook University complex. (Footy is Australian rugby -- wild and raucous --especially the drinkup after the game -- a number of the players then joined us for dinner. ) We spent four days on Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef (there are rather large lizards that amble around the island and the lodge where we stayed -- the island is mostly national park, research station for the reef and beaches) - snorkeling (Julie and me) and diving (Sarah). Then spent another two nights back in Townsville where Sarah "goes to school" -- went hiking and searching for koala bears on the island right off Townsville -- and a final few days in Sydney. We are looking forward to having Sarah back -- and after visiting and seeing what a beautiful, friendly country she has been in I am relieved that Will's graduation is mandating her return.
4/30/02- I have posted pictures of Tina's first bridal event. In case you were wondering about planning your trip to the wedding, Tina has secured a block of rooms at a Hilton in Memphis. Click here for more info on the wedding.
4/4/02- In case you were wondering, Will's college choice is called Eugene Lang. I have finally posted pictures of the Twins 5th birthday party. Check them out here. From Laura "Thanks to everyone who came to the children's birthday party. They LOVE all their gifts." I am leaving for Vegas tomorrow, and will be heading to Charlotte shortly after that. Once that is over, I will have been in the office 3 days between March 5th and April 29th. Wow.
3/30/02- Sorry for the long absence. To bring everyone up to speed on recent events, Charlie had his casts removed. I have pictures of the Twins birthday party that will be posted this week. Laura reports "Frances rode her bike without training wheels yesterday for the first time. She caught on pretty fast! She will be unstoppable pretty soon!" Finally, Will got into his first choice of colleges. It is a division of the New School in New York City.
2/3/02- Happy Birthday Sarah!(tomorrow) I posted this a little early so I didn't forget.
1/27/02- Charlie was quite a trooper during his trip to DC/Baltimore for his operation. Check out pictures of the cheerful fellow (except for a couple of pictures) by clicking here.
1/10/02- We plan to drive up on Sunday Jan 13th and will be staying with Joe and Ellen on Sunday and Monday. Charlie has pre-op on Tuesday and we will be staying in the Children's House from Tuesday until he is discharged from the hospital, maybe sometime over the weekend. After that we will be back at Joe and Ellen's until we are discharged from the area. So, I'm sure you can keep in touch through Emmie and my Mom. I will probably be calling home everyday to talk to Frances so my Mom will have the "up to the minute" details, with Emmie running a close second. You can reach her by email (judithjames1@home.com) or phone (865-691-1991). Thanks again to Joe and Ellen for being so accommodating! Love to all!..........Laura
1/6/02- Due to my 2nd place finish in only my first full year of picking bowls, I am announcing I am exploring how I would do in the professional ranks. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to pick games for money. My parents are both supporting my decision, as they would like to not have to work...EVER! I know this may come as a shock to all my fans, seeing how I just turned 2...That's right Jim....2!! I do however, have to think about what is best for me and my family. I will make my final decision before the January 11th deadline. I am not burned out, stressed out or mentally fatigued, I just feel that my amateur career is complete. Call me arrogant, cocky, crybaby, whiner, whatever name you would like, at least you can't call me a loser. All requests for interviews should be directed through my publicist...my sister Jesse, since I am just learning to talk and as you all know, she can talk better than any body. Sincerely, SAM
1/4/02- Ellen stole the Pop's Picks trophy from Emmie by dropping her last 3 games. Check out the final standings. Coming soon, all of the Christmas pictures.
1/3/02- I am delighted to reign as Bowl Pick Champion 2001 for the first time in 10 years of being a Higdon. I might also add that I have never won Pop's Picks either! Little David, tell Tina that it takes 10 years of practice to achieve this greatness. And I didn't even have a practice run. Love to all.........Laura. Editor's note: A least she is not as brash as some previous winners. :-)
1/2/02- Laura has won the Bowl Picks. The battle for Pop's Picks comes down to the National Championship game. If Nebraska wins, Emmie nabs last place. If Miami wins, Ellen will snatch the trophy from Emmie's grasp.
1/1/02- Happy New Year! Laura is on the verge of clinching victory in the bowl picks. If LSU holds on to win, she will lock up the trophy. Emmie has the Pop's picks trophy in hand, unless she wins her last three games, in which case Ellen could swipe the trophy from her grasp. And most importantly, Bill didn't win. Check out the standings.
12/29/01- Sam continues his amazing predictions, and has reportedly booked a trip to Vegas. With 11 of 12 games predicted correctly, Sam has a 2 game lead on Laura. Eric currently has grip on last place with 4 correct picks, with John having 5 correct picks for second to last place.
12/28/01- Proving that picking the winner's of bowl games is all about knowledge and wisdom, Sam has pulled into the lead by himself with 8 out of 9 games picked correctly.
12/27/01- Laura, Jessie, & Sam have the lead in the Bowl Picks with 5 correct picks. Many people are one win off the pace. John, Eric, Sarah, and "the rookie" Tina are bringing up the rear with 2 correct picks. It was great seeing you all on Christmas. Have a happy New Year.
12/21/01- Ellen, Rob, Laura, & Leanne have jumped out to the early lead in the Bowl Picks, correctly predicting the first 3 games. Will & Jessie would be in that position had East Carolina not self-destructed.
12/18/01- The Bowl Picks are posted. The standings will be updated throughout the bowl season. Good luck to Tina, who recently was force.....uh......agreed to marry Cousin David, in her first year in the pool.
12/9/01- Well, the Vols aren't going to the Rose Bowl, but the Higdon family bowl picks must go on. Click here to submit your picks online. Just choose the team you want, put in your total points, and your name. Then click the submit button at the bottom. I will be confirming the picks with you by e-mail. After I receive everyone's selections, I will post all the picks online. If you need a paper copy of the picks, please contact me.
12/6/01- Sarah called last night and asked if she could come home for Christmas. We, of course, said yes. Even though Joe had already given away her seat on the plane, he was able to get a new one.
12/2/01- Ellen threw a surprise B-day party for Joe, and fun was had by all. You can see pictures here. Go VOLS!
11/30/01- Happy Birthday Ellen! And Happy day before your 60th Birthday Joe! A notice, I will be running the Bowl Picks again this year. In an effort to make life easier on everyone you will be able to submit your bowl picks online. I will have the page up shortly after the games are set. We will only have a window of about 10 days between the time they are set, and the first game.
11/21/01- Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Rumors of Sarah's holiday return has been crushed, as Sarah appears likely to take a Nanny job in Fiji for a month. Wow, cool stuff! Don't forget to send in your Adidas merchandise requests.
11/19/01- Rumors are circulating that Sarah will be home for Christmas, but just in case, I have posted some pictures of her that she sent from Australia. Also, in preparation for Christmas, I have posted a form to specify what Adidas merchandise you would like to receive this holiday season. Getting bright orange spandex pants has never been easier. Click here to go to the form.
11/6/01- Frances and Charlie had a great time on Halloween. Check out some pictures of them. The page may take some time to load, as I did not compress either of the pictures. (About 2 minutes over a phone line)
11/5/01- David and Tina will be getting married on July 27th in Memphis. More info as I get it. Also, it was great to see everyone in Knoxville. I had a great time. Sorry I broke your computer Leanne, but thanks for the apple butter anyway.
10/15/01- David made this announcement "Just wanted to let everyone know that Tina and I got engaged last night (10/13/01). We don't have any firm plans yet, but we will most likely get married in Memphis next summer. This should solidify the 2001 Emmie award winner. Hope that everyone is doing well. We look forward to seeing you all soon." Congrats David.
10/11/01- Thanks to Joe, I was able to see Ripken's last 7 games in a Orioles uniform. I have posted some pictures of his last night, with others to follow. Click here to take a look. Sorry, but some of the pictures are a little blurry, as the shutter needed to be open longer when it was quite dark, and my arms were not always steady.
10/4/01- Word on the street is that the parents have caved and that Sarah will be spending another semester in Australia. We are not sure whether or not she will be coming home for Christmas, but, contrary to initial statements, the smart money is on her coming home for the holidays.
10/4/01- Laura writes "John brought an Australian Shepherd puppy home with him about 3 weeks ago. The kids named him Little Bear. He is cute, but very active and has marked my carpet in many places! We are having a home consultation with a dog trainer Monday! I can't wait. The kids love him when he isn't nipping at their heels, his natural instinct since he is a herding dog. From all I have read, the breed is loyal, protective, and eager to learn tricks such as Frisbee catching etc." See pictures here.
10/4/01- I will be appearing in Knoxville on October 20th.
9/20/01- All the Higdon's appear to be in decent shape after the recent attacks. Bill Higdon will be journeying to see Cal Ripken Jr. one last time over the weekend. Jim was going to come, but since he couldn't go through a metal detector, was going to have to be strip-searched. Curiously, he decided he could watch Cal on TV. Will is upset that the lease on the Lexus is running out, and he will either have to drive a pick-up, or {gasp!} use public transportation. Sarah is having so much fun being a bum in Australia, that she wants to stay for the entire year. I see a fight brewing there. As for me, I flew back to DC from Portland on last Friday, and it was definitely a little tense on the plane. I am grounded for a little while, as my big project, Time Warner Cable's New York 1, has been pushed back a little. Until their schedule is worked out, I will be home in DC. I may be making a trip to Johnson City, TN, but it all depends on New York 1.
8/28/01- In the last 27 days, I have been on the road almost all the time, played some golf, turned 30, and seem to be balder than before. Sarah called from Australia on my birthday, and seemed to be having a good time in the land down under. That is all.
8/1/01- Charlie went to John's Hopkins Medical center to see a doctor about straightening his legs. To read about all the details, click here. If you want to see pictures of their trip to DC, click here.
8/1/01- Its been a long time since I have updated, so we will have a few things. First, Happy Birthday to Will tomorrow. Second, I have been busy traveling for a while, but am having fun. Finally, Sarah is in Australia, and seems to be doing well, despite the fact that she has yet to call or write to her big brother.
5/17/01- Ellen writes, "Congratulations to Eric on the
truck, and turning 16!! I have finally
figured out why Joe got a truck -- So when he is traveling and Will has finished
(in the middle of the night) a giant installation project for his mixed medium
class and the project needs to go to school but can only partially fit into the
back of the flat bed of the truck -- and it is raining out -- Ellen can drive
the truck in morning rush hour traffic to school -- while Will, in raincoat,
sits in the flatbed clutching the corner of the huge purple project. We
are happy to report that the project and Will arrived intact, the project
squeezed through the doors of the school and room in which it was installed for
the school's Studio Day! So, Eric, what do you use your truck for?"
5/17/01- Emmie reports "May the 14th was big David's birthday (born on Mamma Mae's b.d.) and May 15th was a real biggie for grandson, Eric. He turned 16 years old and we went out to "Big Edd's pizza pace in Oak Ridge. It was truly a biggie for him, as he received a truck to drive, a real nice one. Needless to say he was one happy camper. That is something every boy looks forward to. I am now in rehab and since I have only been 4 times there is no marked improvement. Just give me time." Editorial note, I didn't look forward to getting a car on my 16th b-day, nor did Will. Hmmmmm, maybe a little restitution is in order.
5/07/01- Joe reports- "Sarah's boat finished third in the New England College R behind Williams and Boston College. Rowing Championships behind Williams and Boston College. This Thursday she is off to Gainesville, GA for the NCAA Championships this weekend. Ellen went to the meet in Wooster, MA this past weekend. Will had his school prom this weekend and had two dates. The two dates were fine but the faux-leopard skin hat with his tux was clearly the right touch."
5/01/01- I have been busy. Traveling constantly. I haven't slept in my own bed since Mid-April, and won't for another few days. The NAB conference in Vegas was fun, but tiring. I hope to put a little time into the site next week, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.
5/01/01- Susan reports "Emmie had a follow-up with the cardiologist on Thursday and appears to be doing well. She has been cleared to drive (and the car has been "jumped-off by AAA"), so she will hit the roads as soon as she feels like it. She still has a low endurance and gets short of breath, but hopefully this will improve some with time. The Dr. says he doesn't feel strongly one way or the other regarding doing the other stint(stent?) right now. They plan to give her another 8 weeks ,or so, to see how she's feeling and then re-evaluate the situation. She is to start a cardiac rehab exercise program and a cardiac clinic (diet/evals) soon."
04/16/01- Well, it has been a hectic couple of weeks for the Higdons. But I was thrilled to hear this news from Susan. "Thought you'd like to know Emmie spent her first night alone last night and is doing very well...The nurse and the physical therapist say she is making good progress, though still has a low endurance...but that should get better with time...she has a follow-up appointment with the orthopedist Tuesday to check on her back, but it certainly seems to be better...YEAA !!!!!!!...Her cardiology follow-up is next Thursday, so we'll see how her heart is doing then...overall, I think she is making a great recovery...We had a fun Easter Sunday here (after the baseball game was over), with dinner, an Easter egg hunt, etc...all the kids found a basket-full of eggs (with a little help)"
04/16/01- Taxes are due.
03/25/01- Pictures from the twins birthday party have been posted. I am curious who this Justin person is, but he somehow made it on the page. Check out the photos. In other news, I have been given more duties at my job. I cannot really call it a promotion, because I didn't get a new title or more money. Anyway, it will allow me to head to Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters Conference in late April. I am in charge of building all the servers that come into the office. While it sounds small, it is something I enjoy, and gives me a little more responsibility.
03/06/01-John won his first fishing tournament this weekend at Lake Martin in Alexander City, Alabama. He caught the limit and weighed in at 10 lbs, 12 oz. He placed first in the co-angler division bringing home a nice trophy and $2500. That makes him the first professional sportsman in the family! You can go to www.operationbass.com to see an article about John's tournament. Just click on the Walmart BFL logo. There should be an article posted Tues or Wed. There is also a "Tournament Results, News and Photos" on the right of the page. Click there to see more about the tournament. -Laura
02/26/01- Charlie and Frances wanted everyone to know how much fun they had at the birthday party. They love all their gifts and have been playing with them all morning. Frances will NOT take off her Ariel negligee. We are planning to go outside today to try our roller skates, new soccer and basketballs, bubble wand, chalk and baseball gloves. Thanks to everyone for joining in our celebration. We have a great family. Thanks also to the "big" kids for coming to the party and being so attentive to the little ones. Pictures are to follow as soon as I can do it............Laura
02/20/01- Julie has a new job!!! "I resigned my job in Sevierville today and have accepted a job at Baptist hospital in Knoxville. I start on March 13. I'll save 10 hours per week in the car! That's a whole extra day. Anyway, I'm real excited and look forward to starting." E-mail her congratulations at Julie@HigdonFamily.com.
02/07/01- We only have one teenager left in our family. Sarah turned 20 on Sunday -- said she opened her presents while talking to Will on the phone (from Spain!!....the parents will be interested in that phone bill.) (I am the bad brother as I didn't have her phone #, and therefore didn't call) Will has decided he loves Spain -- especially going to the discos and cafes at night -- and does seem to be getting a lot of culture thrown in. For the sports fans in the family, his Spanish family has soccer on TV at dinner each night. Will wants everyone to e-mail him as, he gets his e-mails in cyber cafes. His address is Will@higdonfamily.com. Ellen is going to her second Spanish class this Thursday night. Joe is working with a personal trainer, and reportedly leaps out of bed at 5:30 each morning. (Not a sight many people want to see) As for me, I am preparing to start heavy travel for my job (which is going well). I have joined a racquetball league, and am 2-1 so far. Keep the news coming. -Rob
02/05/01- I want everyone to know that I am planning a family birthday party for the kids on Feb 25th at 5:00. Just wanted to make sure there were no major conflicts with anyone before I made the invitations. I can work on changing the date if there are too many conflicts. Thanks..........Laura
02/05/01- Leanne reports, "Emmie came over for dinner tonight and when she saw Sam walking she said......this is news for the web page. So, if you already got word from her...by all means take her note. Sam is up and walking. A few Monday's ago.....January 15th to be exact....he just took off and started walking. Now, when he falls down he doesn't resort to staying down and crawling, he pops back up and is walking. One of his favorite things to do is to start in the living room and on his own...even in the dark...he will walk down to our room and get the portable phone off the hook and bring it back in the living room. He really feels like he's accomplished something. Yes. he pushes the buttons on the phone...boys and pushing buttons....they start young....no wonder you can never have control over the remote control with men...I mean...boys around." Leanne, the reason you cannot have the remote control is we don't want you switching the channel to watch "The English Patient" or "Bridges of Madison County". You get to choose the movies we see outside the house, but when it comes to OUR TV, we won't allow you to manipulate us into watching something so painful. Way to go Sam, don't ever let her take that remote.
02/01/01- Bill reports, "I walked into the operating room at 4:20pm yesterday. I walked out of the operating room at 4:30. Had both eyes done. Went home and slept well and woke up this morning to a whole new world. No glasses. I have been back to the doctor this morning and my vision was already back to 20/40. It will get better as the next few days go by. Will have to wear reading glasses but that is all right. At this point I would say it is wonderful. Drove to work this AM without glasses for the first time in my life."
02/01/01 - Jimmy reports, "Last evening during a dinner conversation with Carol, I told her that Bill was having laser eye surgery. In her surprise she responded 'I had no idea that Adidas did laser eye surgery now'. Leanne, tell Jesse and Sam thanks for the sweet notes, I thought the blocks would be a perfect gift for a 2 year old!!"
01/29/01- Will arrived in Spain yesterday, for a 2 week study trip. Unfortunately, his host family didn't know that, and forgot to pick him up at the airport. He has managed to get settled in though. His room is about the "size of his bathroom" and he shares it with a Japanese student who does not speak any English. All in all, he seems in good spirits. Joe & Ellen left for Mexico this morning(work/vacation), and will be back next weekend.
01/25/01- Bill will be undergoing Lasix eye surgery on Wednesday the 31st. Best wishes, success stories, horror stories, and general nonsense, can be sent to him at Bill@higdonfamily.com.
01/25/01- Our condolences, as Leanne's grandmother passed away last Friday.
01/18/01- As the city prepares for a huge celebration, the Joe Higdon family is not as cheery, as Sarah returns to college today. Although, she seems to be in a surprisingly good mood. She requests that all birthday presents be sent to her there, along with the Pop's picks trophy. Also, Leanne has submitted pictures of her family's Christmas in Seattle, so check them out.
01/14/01- Susan reports "In case you haven't heard from Sam yet, he had a rocking 1st (that's FIRST Uncle Jim and Aunt Kaka) birthday party on Friday night. All the Knoxville family was there including Eddie, Tina and Mossie. Dad David (not to be confused with young David) cooked spaghetti...not his best he said but it was certainly better than my "Prego"...and there way a huge snowman birthday cake for dessert. Sam had some hot cereal and a taste of icing...maybe he'll be ready for "the works" next year. There were lots of presents for Sam...he seemed to especially like the remote dump truck and the "pound a ball" when the cousins weren't pounding it for him. Anyway, it was a fun party, lots of noise and squeals, just the way a kid's birthday party should be. It's really great to have all these sweet children so close by...oh, and Eric too. That's it until next time."
01/09/01- Emmie ran into an old acquaintance, Charlie Higdon, whom she has always tried to find a family connection to. Turns out they have a website devoted to the Higdon ancestry. Check it out, www.higdonfamily.org.
01/05/01- Carol responds, "Uncle Jim says there are too many 'gol-darn' babies in this family right now, who can keep up? I don't feel too bad though, Aunt Carol once gave me a 'Happy Birthday' card on Father's Day! Oh, and by the way, I'm going to pull an Al Gore regarding bowl pick winner, I won by popular total points!!!" Jim did come the closest in point totals, but just like Al Gore before him, an intellectually inferior opponent walked away with the prize. (Sorry David)
01/05/01- Leanne writes, "I'd like to share the card Sam received from his thoughtful Uncle Jim and Aunt Caca for his birthday. The front of the card starts out with two butterflies flying about. Here's what it said inside: Two happy little wishes, Two hugs and kisses, too, Are tucked inside this bithday card for a very special you! Hooray for You--Now You're Two! XXOO Then it is signed by Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Carol. We plan on holding on to the card for another year. Thanks for the card with birthday wishes........we'll be sure to hold on to it for one more year." As Homer Simpson would say "Doh!!!"
01/04/01- Sarah won Pop's picks by virtue of a tie-breaker with Will. She is not as proud as David.
01/04/01- Just wanted to thank everyone for their support during
my championship season. It was hard getting over a slow start, but the
examples that were set before me (mostly from my father) helped lead me to
overcome adversity and finish the bowl season with 12 consecutive correct
selections. I am grateful for the opportunities that have been laid before
me that have paved the road for my success. I look forward to leading you all into the new millennium
as your bowl champion. Bowl Champion 1977, 1996, 2001
David F. Higdon
01/04/01- Laura reports- Frances did have to spend the night at Children's but we are home now. She is weak and sleepy and I am hoping that she will wake up tomorrow much better as Charlie did after his visit. Turns out she had something called rotavirus, a nasty intestinal bug. Charlie probably had it too, it's just that Frances was tested for it and Charlie wasn't. It's been a rough week!
01/03/01- David(younger) has won the Bowl Picks, but the Pop's picks trophy is coming down to the final game. If Oklahoma wins, Sarah wins Pop's picks. If Florida State wins, Laura takes the trophy. The most important thing, however, is that Bill will not win at all.
01/02/01- Emmie reports that Charlie is almost back to normal but Frances has been taken to the Children's Hospital for some intravenous feeding as she was continuing to throw-up She may not have to spend the night.
01/02/01- Its almost over. Either David(younger) or Eric will win the Bowl Picks trophy. If Miami beats Florida, David wins. Otherwise, Eric will win on the tiebreaker. Pop's picks is still up in the air with many teams having 10 correct picks.
01/01/01- Happy New Year! With 4 games left to play David(younger) has correctly picked 8 straight games and has the inside track to win the Bowl Picks trophy. Ellen, Eric, and Sam each have a chance to pull out the win, but need to get a little lucky. Carol and Frances are tied for the lead to win the Pop's picks trophy.
12/30/00- Laura reports, "Actually, Charlie's flu screen was negative and Frances is the one with a flu. Charlie just got so dehydrated on Friday and he couldn't keep anything down. Frances is about 3 days behind Charlie in the illness. She's pretty miserable now, but since I was able to give her medicine right away when her sickness started, I think the symptoms for her are lessened. They are both pitiful, but I think they will make it barring any more dehydration."
12/30/00- With Nebraska's pounding of Northwestern, Eric, Charlie, Leanne, and Jessie moved into a tie for first place with Emmie. Bill and Carol remain tied for last.
12/30/00- Emmie reports, Charlie has the flu and seemed better
but took a turn for the worse and is
in Children's Hospital. The Dr. took the IV out this morning but wants him
to stay a while longer. Frances is at home with a similar ailment, but is better
than Charlie. David and Leanne got home Thursday night and had their Christmas
when they arrived. Jessie had so many gifts that she saved some of them to open
the next day.
12/30/00- Emmie is in sole possession of first place in the Bowl Picks with 9 of 14 games correct. Bill and Carol share the lead for the Pop's picks trophy with just 4 correct selections.
12/29/00- Leanne and Emmie lead the Bowl Picks with 7 of 10 correct. Joe, Bill, Carol, Patrick, John, and Frances share the lead for Pop's Picks with just 3 correct picks.
12/29/00- The authorities have located Bill. He was hiding out on a grassy knoll muttering to himself, but surrendered to authorites, after 3 of his 4 picks won yesterday.
12/28/00- Sam celebrates his first Birthday
12/27/00- Bill drops to 0-6 in the bowl picks. He has been heard mumbling something about leaving the country.
12/26/00- The Christmas pictures have been posted. Some of them have been airbrushed due to red-eye, especially close-ups of Frances. If anyone wants bigger/better copies of pictures they see, they can just ask me for them, and I will get them to you.
12/25/00- The Higdon family now has a website. Check out all the cool pictures, news, and links.
12/25/00- The family Bowl Picks are online. See who can save us from Uncle Bill's gloating.
12/18/00- Jesse fell and broke her collar bone on
the 12th. She was jumping on the bed and boom...fell off. It is truly
remarkable at how quickly kids heal. She is putting turtle neck shirts on,
wrestling with her brother, and just about every thing today...and it's only
been a week. When David broke his about 10 years ago, it took him months
to heal.....and you heard about it every day. Jesse's a pretty tough
little girl.
Sam's doing great. He took off up the stairs today and got up about 6 in
less than 10 seconds. Thank goodness Leanne was there in that he doesn't
have a clue how to get back down. He started a pretty good tumble and
thank goodness she was there to catch him.
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