Rice and Football - - Check Out These 2 (unrelated) Articles

I was at a loss this morning about what to post until I received a phone call from my sister.  I learned my niece is vying for a scholarship, and consequently has been featured as Cook of the Week in the paper.  Once I stopped laughing (no offense, Hannah) and read the article, I realized once again just how proud I am of her (I also realized I'm one of the few females in my extended family that hasn't been Cook of the Week...if we ever move back, that will be my first order of business).  With my sister's permission, I am sharing this *beautiful* article with you guys. 

But before you click on the link, what's for supper?  Wouldn't something with rice be good?

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And on a clearly different subject, Philly & Central not playing each other for 2 years?  Really?  I played basketball from 7th to 12th grade at Central, so I feel I have some background on this subject (albeit a faded, old background now).  We looked forward to playing Philadelphia every year...it was just more fun.  The crowds were bigger at that game, the excitement was palpable, and we the players all seemed to play a little bit harder in this rivalry game.  I remember playing against an outstanding player, Pashen Thompson, who went on to play for Pat Summit at the University of Tennessee.  Whenever I would see Pashen playing on TV, it always took me back to those days of the NC/Philly rivalry.  And even though we went to rival high schools, I was proud to say she was from my hometown.  

Now, basketball has always come in second to football of course, and the rivalry on the football field has always been a bit more, well, vocalized, so to speak.  I think the worst "prank" I remember happening is a truck full of Philly students riding through our campus yelling what a bunch of rednecks we were.  Well, we didn't really have much of an argument against that, but it fired us up for the game even more.  Apparently the "pranks" have gotten more and more destructive and out of hand, and I just think that is sad...

I understand the need to protect our children, but I don't understand how it quite got to this point. A friendly rivalry is one thing, violence/vandalism, etc. is another. 

There was an incidence here in the Jackson area with 2 young boys being arrested for vandalizing an across-town rival's field the night before a televised game, so I guess this problem is widespread, not just in Neshoba County. 
I am curious though if the action taken by Neshoba Central (calling off ALL sports events scheduled between two schools) has ever been done before. 

Let's hope this is not a sign of things to come, or our high schoolers may be playing like our preschoolers, playing but not keeping score. 

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And now that I've said all that, let's go eat some rice for lunch..........

Let's Play A Game of I Spy

I spy a really bad aim.  

The Man With A Dog

I learned a long time ago that it is wrong to judge. 
I learned a long time ago not to judge someone by their occupation, clothing, vehicle, house, children's behavior, spouse's behavior, etc.etc. 
I learned a long time ago that no matter what things seem on the outside, the inside may tell an entirely different story. 
I learned all these things a long time ago. 


This man, unknown to me or the other 4-year-old teacher, would bring his dog by the playground on their daily walk.  The kids of course would all run to the fence and strain their little arms through to pet the dog.  The man murmured something about the dog being gentle, but we were very uneasy about the entire situation. 

Of course we inquired about this man to some other teachers and they assured us he was safe.  In fact, he is a church member there and does handyman work around the property so in all likelihood we would see him again. 

And we did.  It wasn't every day but pretty often we would see him coming.  "Oh, here comes that man and his dog" we would say, hoping they would just walk on by and not stop.  The man appeared dishelved and unkempt. It looked like he had on the same clothes every time we saw him, and he walked with a limp. We didn't know where he had come from or what he was doing there. And honestly we just wanted him to leave.

This is my 3rd year to teach at this preschool and for the first 2 years the man and his dog would make their occasional appearances.  And after 2 years I only knew his dog's name, not his. 

I arrived to work on Tuesday to hear there would be a funeral in the sanctuary that afternoon.  "Oh, a church member?" I asked, sure that I would not know the deceased.  "Yes.  Charlie Crisco," she replied.  "I don't guess I know him."  "You know the man with the dog?" 

I immediately felt a tinge of sadness although I am not sure why, maybe it was a tinge of guilt instead.  The rest of the day was buzzing with information that even some fellow church members had never known. 

His obituary reads, "One of Jackson's finest...."  

You see, the man with the dog wasn't who I thought he was, and my first mistake was to judge him on his outward appearance.  My second mistake was to believe my judgment as truth. 

In fact, my judgment couldn't have been farther from the truth.  This man had been a marine, a police officer, and a lead investigator in a very, very high-profile murder trial.  William H. Macy played this man's character in a movie you might remember.   

But more important than all of that, he had a health scare years ago and afterwards inviting Jesus in his heart as his Savior. 

God showed me (one of) my faults loud and clear this past week.  I thought I had learned the "do not judge" life lesson already.  I thought I could check that one off the list and move onto something else.  Apparently not. 

James 4:12 says, "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you-who are you to judge your neighbor?"

Good question. 

Gogurt in Glasses

For those of you who haven't seen Gogurt since Saturday night, here's a picture of him in his glasses. 

Over the summer, I noticed he was having trouble seeing some things I thought he should be able to see. I was hoping it was nothing, but once school started it was obvious he needed to have his eyes checked. Two days after visiting the optometrist, he has his glasses! I may be biased, but I think he is a CUTIE. Okay, he's always been a cutie, but now he's a cutie who can SEE!

Why Am I Sore? Oh yeah....

I fell yesterday at work.  Yes, you read that right.  I fell.  I'm not too embarrassed about it....I mean, I am sharing it with all of you so that means I'm not embarrassed, right?

It happened at preschool and there were only 2 witnesses.  And to my defense, there was something akin to baby oil on the floor where I fell and that combined with my totally non-grip flip flops just wasn't a good combination. 

It's good to be adults about it though.  The two ladies that witnessed it (actually only one witnessed the actual fall, the other had her back turned during the fall but turned to see me splattered on the floor) didn't even act like it was a big deal.  They just wanted to make sure I was okay.  I guess when you get our age, the embarrassment level is trumped by the did-you-break-a-hip question. 

I recovered, and then we all shared other "falling" stories.  While we were talking, and before we had wiped up the slippery stuff, another teacher came around the corner and came close to doing the same thing I did.  She was able to catch herself though.  After that, we got serious about drying the floor. 

I made the comment after the fall that I would probably be sore today, and yes, I was correct.  The ribs on my right side (the side that hit the floor first) feel like I've been punched in the side, especially when I cough.  My knee also has a small bruise on it.

Thankfully, the spot where I fell is not covered by the surveillance video that is constantly recording in our school. So no one can go back and watch the video, in slow motion, of my graceful moment.  For this I am thankful!

Now I'm going to go lick my wounds.  I hope you have a *careful* weekend!

Our New Mornings

If you spent any time around Brad before school started, you probably heard his *glee* about our new morning routine.  For many, many years he has had to get up and get ready for work in utter silence so as to not wake anyone else up in the house.  And as many of you know, our house is a little bit bigger than tiny so this was not always easy. 


Things like digging ice out of the freezer for his morning Diet Coke and eating cereal out of a non-plastic bowl would drive me insane.  Hearing the spoon clink the sides of the bowl would wake the heaviest sleeper, right?  I have to say though over the years he had gotten extremely good at being quiet.  He would basically get up, get dressed, and walk out the door.  This meant alot of gas station breakfasts for my hubby (gasp!)


And it hasn't just been Brad.  For as long as Gogurt has been in school, he has had to be quiet in the morning so he would not wake his sister.  And believe me, he never learned how to be quiet like his dad did.  Popping doorknobs and slamming drawers shut put me over the edge.  Bless his heart, when he was in Kindergarten and Poptart was a baby, he would have to be quiet in the mornings and the afternoons because when he got off the bus she was back asleep for her nap.  It was never easy to keep him quiet or her asleep. 


But no more!  Now that we all have to get up, no one has to be quiet.  Well, let me put it another way.  The boys do not have to be quiet.  The two girls are quiet because we are not morning people.  Brad and Gogurt will have full-blown conversations.  All you get out of me and Poptart are a few groans. 


But then the bus comes, scoops up my kids, and then this weird thing happens every morning.  I step back in to a quiet house.  I'm still not used to that yet.


 I have noticed that I am more motivated to do housework at that moment for some reason.  I'm putting clothes in the washer, cleaning my kitchen, and making beds before 7 a.m.  But please don't be too proud of me, alot of days the housework I do in those early morning moments is the only housework I do for the rest of the day. 

This post has really had no meaning, and I understand that.  And because of this, it really has no good ending.  So I will just end this way. 

Have a good holiday weekend!