Fire at the Fair

Every year since I was about 10 years old, I would pack up and move out of my house to my "home away from home" for a week at the end of July/beginning of August.  My aunt and uncle has a cabin at the Neshoba County Fairgrounds, and my mother trusted them completely to look after me for for the duration. 

I never remember my mother lamenting over the fact that someone might harm me while I was there, that I might get lost, homesick, lonely, or anything of the sort. 

What I do remember her saying is, "What if there's a fire?"  "Do you realize how fast it would spread from cabin to cabin?" 

Of course, I didn't give it a second thought and year after year went on without a worry in my mind.  Of course, as you get older you do start worrying about things such as this, but for the thousands of fairgoers, the fairgrounds seem to be a haven of protection from crime (well, except the fights that break out really late at night) and Mother Nature (well, except for the annual rainfall that make playing football in the middle of the racetrack a muddy, fun mess). 

This week my mother's nightmare happened, somewhat.  There was a fire, but thankfully not during fair week.  What if it had been during the fair?  I can't let my mind go there, and I'm sure you understand why. 

For more pictures of the fire, visit the Clarion-Ledger's website. 

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..........

The Decision

I want to confess. 

We watched "The Decision" last night. 

Yes, a show with a title indicating a decision of life-changing proportions.  An election-night show perhaps? Maybe a decision between good and evil?  Maybe a decision of believing in God or not believing in God? 

No, this decision was coming from a basketball player, LeBron James, regarding where he would take his talent. 

And we are confessing. 

We watched it. 

The funny thing was that throughout every commercial set, we discussed why we were watching.  Did we really even care?  Is the media so powerful that it can convince us we care about something when in actuality we do not?

Brad was almost furious with himself.....we would watch in silence waiting for the "big announcement."  Cut to commercial, and Brad would start spewing, "Why am I even watching this????"  "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!!!!"  "They are making way too big of a deal about this!!!!"  "I hope wherever he goes they don't win a game." (that last one was kinda mean I thought).  

Shhhh...honey, it's back on.  And back we would go to complete silence.  Waiting for the "big announcement." 

And so it finally came.  He's going to play for Miami where he will apparently be joining two other great players. 

So here's the question we proposed after the big announcement was made and the TV was off.  If the media talked nonstop about something, say for example, whether Brad would have a turkey sandwich or a ham sandwich for lunch, and they brought in experts to say why turkey would be the better choice and why ham would not benefit him as much, and they splashed it over every website in ads and teasers, and they held an online poll, "Will he choose ham or turkey?" and tweeted the results daily, would people tune in to see the decision?

Well, would ya?

I Really Wasn't Gonna Go There, But......

I can't stand it any longer.  Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. 

When I first heard the breaking news of the wreck in his driveway, I hoped for the best but expected the worst. 

 I'm not sure why stories like this intrigue me so much.  Cases like OJ, Anna Nicole, and the endless parade of politicians brought down by improprieties do interest me.  Like I said, I'm not sure why.  Maybe I wonder what power, money, fame would do to me.  Or better yet my husband.  Was there a character flaw there before they had everything at their disposal?  Or was it the power, money, and fame that brought them down?

Let's think about Tiger for a minute.  From what we knew, he was squeaky clean.  But we only knew what the media told us, and apparently the media was fed a fine-tuned image from Tiger and his "people".  But for years Tiger was the ultimate role model, and a heck of a golf player.  I mean, had you ever enjoyed watching golf before Tiger?  I certainly had not.  But I liked watching Tiger play golf.  (Knowing what we now know, isn't it even more amazing that he was so good at a game that requires so much concentration?  Since we now know he wasn't even thinking about golf?!?!?)

And then there was his dad.  What a sweet story.  Tiger and his dad.  I wonder what his dad would say to him now. 

But all that squeaky clean image came to a screeching halt when he ran into that tree.  Man, I bet he wishes he had just stayed in his house - seriously, isn't his house big enough to just get away from whomever you are trying to get away from? 

And since the accident, we've heard of all his women.  I have personally watched two of them be interviewed on The Today Show.  And here's what I say to them.  Shame on you.  Shame. On. You. 

I don't know what is going to happen to Tiger.  He has already lost one of his sponsors, and I'm certain more will follow.  Now he has announced an indefinite leave from golf.  Someone compared this *crisis* to the Kobe Bryant crisis.  They said it took Kobe at least a good five years to recover and reclaim his image, and that it would probably take that or longer for Tiger. 

Whether Tiger decides to stay in hiding the rest of his life (which I highly doubt), or if he decides to come forward and face the music and make a grand re-entrance into the celebrity world (he would need to do this quickly though, Oprah isn't gonna be around much longer), the public overall will be forgiving.  Especially men.  It might take us women a little longer to warm back up to him. 

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say something most women would cringe at.  I hope Elin stays with him.  And I hope that years and years from now, when all the pain has subsided but not disappeared, they are stronger than ever.  They could be an example of a couple who puts their mind and heart and soul into saving their marriage and then proving it can be done. 

This, of course, depends mostly on Tiger's attitude and repentance.  He has to change.  I would not recommend Elin to stay otherwise. 

And I can't close without saying the most obvious thing....this family needs to find the loving arms of Jesus.  That will be the only way Tiger and Elin will ever truly find forgiveness, for themselves and for each other. 

Don't You Love Chick-Fil-A?

Tonight we ate for free. Yes, free. All four of us. If you do not have a Chick-Fil-A in your town, I apologize and warn you - you may not want to read the rest of this. You may get Chick-Fil-A envy.

Last night while watching football, (yahoo! football is back!!!!!), we saw a commercial about getting a free chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A. All we had to do was wear a team logo into the Chick-Fil-A and they would hand us a free chicken sandwich.

My family along with about 150 others were waiting in line at our local Chick-Fil-A (okay, maybe not that many). It was a game-like atmosphere, and I enjoyed looking around at all the different colleges and pro teams represented. Mostly in-state colleges, but I did see a Nebraska T-shirt. Go Cornhuskers.

I got my free sandwiches and headed home. And boy did we enjoy them....thanks Chick-Fil-A.....you're great to have in the neighborhood!

Farrah and Michael

I have had a long fascination with TV. Not just watching it (although I enjoy doing that), but behind the scenes as well. You know, how it all comes together.

Before I was an education major, I was a communications major (for one semester). Sometimes I wonder "what would have been" if I would have stayed in that major. You might have been watching me on your local news, who knows?

I'm saying this because yesterday was a HUGE news day. One that the talking heads live for. It wasn't good news, but does good news ever make for good news? Ya know what I mean?

I found out Farrah died while in the barber shop with my two kids. The discussion there was whether or not she should have filmed her entire battle with cancer and why on earth would she want to?

I have to confess, I've never been a big Farrah fan. Not because I have anything against her, but she was just slightly before my time. I've always heard her name, but never really felt any "connection" with her.

But the next news I heard was surprising. I was leaving Wal-Mart, tuned in to talk radio, barely paying attention, and heard the news of Michael Jackson's passing. Say huh? I quickly turned my attention to what the lady was saying, and wondered if I could have possibly misunderstood? No. I heard right. Michael Jackson was dead.

I rushed home and asked Brad if he had heard the news. He had not. I told him, and he didn't believe me! He thought surely I had misunderstood. He looked it up online and saw it for himself.

Unlike Farrah, Michael seemed to be more "known" to me. Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller, the list could go on. We immediately cranked up his music on our laptop and said goodbye.

He was a weirdo. No doubt. But the dude could sing. And the dude could absolutely dance. No one can argue with that.

It will be interesting to see the outpouring of love from around the world for Michael. I'm sure it will come close to the scenes we saw after Princess Diana's death. I just wonder what Michael (and Farrah) would say to us now...........

With these two deaths, the Iran uproar, the S.C. governor's baffling (but surely not surprising?) behavior, this was a news day that makes me miss the career I never had!

Your Well-Being Is At Stake!

I wanted to share the results of a study I read about on Yahoo. You may have seen it. It was a survey of American's well-being. It was conducted by Gallup along with Healthways and America's Health Insurance Plans.


This survey was to determine the measure of people's well-being. It asked questions such as "Did you smile alot yesterday?" "Are you satisfied with your job?" "Did you eat healthy all day long yesterday?" "Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the area you live?"

After all 42 questions were answered, they compiled a list of the states in order of their citizens well-being.

So here's the results. I know you just cannot wait to know how your state ranks.

Okay, if you live in Utah, your well-being is off the chart. Utah-ians are good at being well I guess. Second was Hawaii. Third Wyoming. I've never been to any of those states, but apparently I need to go.

Now the bad news. The three lowest states in the well-being rank are Mississippi, Kentucky, and dead last is West Virginia. Could it be the coal mines?

So there you have it. American's well-being according to Gallup and some insurance companies. I am sure they spent alot of time and money on this study. I just can't quite figure out why.

Wherever you are, I hope your well-being is ummmm, well. If not, I propose moving to Utah, or Hawaii, or perhaps Wyoming.......