Usually my life is pretty mundane and I have to search for things to post about. The last few weeks however have been unusually busy for me and my family, and I haven't been able to keep up with my posts. So even though Brad and I are getting home from a trip to Atlanta for Operation Christmas Child, I will post about something that happened last weekend first.
Twenty years ago, I was a sophomore in high school. Permed hair and cutoff bluejean shorts rolled up just like Baby wore them in Dirty Dancing. Oh yeah, times were good, and to make things even better, the high school basketball team I was on went to and won the Girls 4A State Championship.
Twenty years later, I received an invitation in the mail. It asked for all the team members of the championship team to return home to be recognized at halftime of a basketball game. Wow! Had it really been 20 years? In some ways it seems like yesterday, but in other ways, it seems like that wasn't even really me. I am a different person now, back to my naturally straight hair and all.
So I dug out my old letter jacket, went through old newspaper clippings, and put on my championship ring. It was a walk down memory lane for sure! Here I am posing (I'm trying to imitate a senior portrait pose here people) for a picture before we left for the game:
The current players and cheerleaders made a victory line for us as we were introduced one by one:
Afterwards, we were honored to a reception and I brought in the family and snapped a picture with our Championship Trophy:
Here's a group photo of our championship team plus the team from the year before who went to the Championship Game as well and came up only 2 points short!
There's a nice article in The Neshoba Democrat about our little reunion. I had a great time even though it did make me feel a little old!
We signed Poptart up for tennis lessons, and her first lesson was this past Monday. The lessons are being held at some tennis courts in a neighborhood near our home. In this particular neighborhood lives one of Poptart's favorite friends, Kinsey. They were in preschool together for two years. They go to different elementary schools, but we still get them together every now and then to play.
From the day I signed Poptart up, she started asking if Kinsey was going to be at her tennis lesson. I explained to my eager daughter that Kinsey would definitely not be at her tennis lesson. And I also explained that just because the lessons were being held in Kinsey's neighborhood did not mean Kinsey would be at her lesson. Besides, Kinsey is involved in soccer, not tennis.
Everytime we would bring up the upcoming lesson, Poptart would bring up Kinsey again. And I would again try to explain to her that out of all the thousands of children in this county, the probability of Kinsey being at her tennis lesson was slim to none at best. Besides, the tennis coach had already told me there were only 3 children signed up for this particular day and time. Poptart was one so that only left two spots in her class. It just wasn't going to be her friend, Kinsey. Sorry, hon.
On the way to tennis Monday (and after Poptart asked AGAIN if she would see her friend there), I was trying to boost Poptart's confidence since she gets pretty shy around kids and adults she does not know. I was assuring her with things such as "Remember when you took gymnastics this summer, you didn't know anyone in your class, but by the end you had made friends?" "This will be the same way so don't be nervous."
We arrived. I sat down to write out the check to the coach. Poptart is bouncing around and looking around taking in this new scenery. Then she looks at me with this look on her face. I look up.
Kinsey's walking up with her tennis racket.
The class consists of Poptart, Kinsey, and Kinsey's younger brother.
That night I was sitting in the bathroom talking to Poptart while she was in the tub. We were talking about the lesson and how funny it was that Kinsey was actually in her class. She smiled and said,
"Momma, you were sooooo wrong!"
Yes, darling. Mommas can be wrong too.
But not that often.
Nothing takes me back to those days like watching the State Tournament on TV (which is what I'm doing as I write this post). Nowadays our Mississippi Public Broadcasting channel, or PBS as we know it, airs the State Basketball Tournament. Back in my day, they didn't.
But my day was back in the late '80s/early '90s.
I knew I wanted to play basketball from an early age. Don't ask me how, I just did. In fact, in 6th grade when they took us incoming 7th graders to the band hall to play around with the instruments and decide if being in the 7th grade band would be a good fit for us, I decidedly turned them down (even with my music background) because I knew that the school schedule would not allow me to play in the band and be on the basketball team at the same time. You had to choose one or the other. There was only one free period so it was band or basketball or PE or whatever else there was to choose from.
From 7th grade through 12th grade I was on the basketball team. I started in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades but of course when I came onto the high school team, I was a benchwarmer like most sophomores are. My playing time increased game-by-game and by the time I was a junior I was playing entire games.
Watching these young guys on TV brings back so many memories. My first year on the high school basketball team, we were fortunate enough to make it to the "Big House" and play for a state championship. And believe it or not, we won, and I have a ring to prove it! Actually, I don't have the ring in my possession. It is hanging on a nail in my father's bathroom. He was afraid I was going to lose it (and he was probably right) so he decided he would "keep it" for me. Every few years he thinks to ask me if I want my ring back now that I'm an adult and could probably be more reponsible with it and not lose it. I always say, "Nah, you better keep it."
We never made it back to the championship game, but through all of my practices, games, time in locker rooms, weight rooms (yes, I lifted weights), I learned some very valuable lessons.
- Listen to authority. This is the first thing you learn when joining a team. Listen to your coach. He is always right, and his word is final. If he says run another lap, run another lap or pay. I saw what happened to girls with attitudes toward the coach, and I decided early on I wasn't going to be one of them. He may yell at you, push you, anger you, but in the end he has made you a better player and a better person.
- Be unselfish. Pass the ball when someone has a better shot than you. Don't try to be a hero all the time. The best teammates are the unselfish ones, the ones who are just as happy to see someone else make the bucket as they are themselves. It's true, there is no "I" in team.
- There will always be someone better than you.
- Never give up. Getting beat is one thing, giving up is another. Hold your head high no matter what happens. You make a mistake? The game doesn't stop for you to mope and hang your head...you gotta keep going.
- Anything worth having is worth the work it takes to get there. I remember the summers in gyms with no air conditioners, the after-school practices that seemed to go on forever, the running, running, and more running. It was work!
- Don't take anything for granted. At the beginning of this post I told you I knew from an early age I was going to play basketball. What I didn't know is that when my senior year ended, the year that was supposed to be my shining moment, I wasn't playing basketball at all. In January of 1993, after missing 5 games due to mono, I was making my return. I had missed more games than I ever had before, and I was determined to end my career at Neshoba Central on the best note I could, playing the best ball I had ever played. I couldn't wait to get back on the court and play out the rest of the year. I believe we were playing Choctaw Central, but I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that I heard it when it popped, and I immediately hit the floor. My knee was hurting, bad. I couldn't move it at all. I was literally running down the court one second and lying writhing in pain the next. That's how fast it happened. A teammate came over and I remember squeezing her hand and saying with panic, "I can't move it, I can't move it!" My coach carried me off the court. And that, my friend, is how my last basketball game ended. On Senior Night, instead of running to midcourt to accept my plaque, I hobbled out on crutches with a blue cast covering my entire right leg from my thigh to my ankle. Don't ever assume you have another game, another day, another anything.
- Have fun! Some of the best memories from my basketball years are the off-court experiences. Road trips all around our state, a trip to Tennessee, and even a trip to Kissimmee, FL (Disneyworld!)
So there you have it, a few life lessons I learned from basketball. Oh, and there's one more. Use it or lose it. If I had to run a suicide right now, I think I would die.
I've gone all season without posting anything about football, but I couldn't let the season past without at least one football post.
Our Dawgs have had a good season on the field, and we're headed to a bowl game. Off the field, it's been an emotional one with the loss of Nick Bell to cancer. Our local cartoonist, Marshall Ramsey, drew the above cartoon for The Clarion-Ledger. Cowbells in heaven, hmmm, I like that idea.
This weekend we will be playing our in-state rival, Ole Miss. We will be in Atlanta volunteering at the processing center during the game, but you can bet we will be keeping up with the score via Brad's handy-dandy Iphone.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
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?
*****
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.
***
And now that I've said all that, let's go eat some rice for lunch..........
There's this guy named Patrick McGlade and he got this crazy admirable idea to run across America to raise money for The Arthritis Foundation.
From what I can gather from reading his blog, he started in Huntington Beach, CA, and will end up in Tybee Island, GA. Here is a map of his route. Along the way he either stays in hotel rooms or in people's homes that offer to give him shelter and a hot meal.
My brother-in-law, John Watson, who is a runner himself, heard about Patrick and offered him a place to stay. Patrick posted about his visit to Philadelphia, MS, on PatricksRunBlog, and I'd love for you to read it. It's the post dated March 24th. He accidentally put Philadelphia, AR, but it is supposed to be MS. But I'm sure if you had run through every state from California to Mississippi, you'd be confused too! I know I would be! (Actually, I would be dead).
With the title of this post, you may think I'm going to tell you about taking Poptart to get her shots for Kindergarten, but you would be wrong.
This post is about watching my son watch his Colts lose in the Superbowl. It was heartbreaking.
Gogurt wore his Peyton Manning jersey to school Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then wore it to church Sunday morning and Sunday night. He left no doubt in anyone's mind who he was pulling for. And last night he said, "I think I shoulda played it a little quieter at school." Yeah, that's a lesson learned.
I tucked him in last night with him fighting his tears....he couldn't cry over a football game could he? He wanted to, and I told him it was quite alright if he did, but he fought back the tears like a stoic, determined man, and that made his Momma cry.
He was concerned about going to school today and facing all his Saints-lovin' classmates. He even wrote a note to the most outspoken one (apparently this other boy and Gogurt have been at it all week). He said he would just walk up, give him the note, and walk away. The note said something like this: "Yes, I know the Saints won. I'm proud for them. P.S. Wait 'til next year."
Every now and then life throws at us mothers wonderful opportunities to teach life lessons. Sports is one of the best ways I know to learn those hard lessons. If you follow sports and especially if you play sports, you will experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Gogurt was experiencing the latter last night.
So, as proud as I am of the Saints (by the way, I was the only one in my house that picked the Saints to win), I am holding back on the I-told-you-so's and the Who Dat's. I don't want to pour salt into anyone's wounds.
I feel sorry for Peyton, and I told Gogurt last night that as bad as he was feeling, Peyton is feeling a hundred times worse. But that's how it goes. You win some-you lose some. And there's always next year.
If you missed the Saints/Vikings game last night, you missed a good one! We got home from church in time to see the entire 4th quarter (which is of course the most important quarter in a close game).
I can't remember a game I've enjoyed more lately, and this one ended up especially sweet.
The Saints are going to the Superbowl! Who would've ever dreamed it? We feel a connection to the Saints since we lived in Mandeville, Louisiana, for a few years. Being a Saints fan in the past has brought on nothing but frustration and disappointment.....but not anymore! I'm so proud for the City Of New Orleans and the whole state of Louisiana and the whole South for that matter....The Saints is like a home team for alot of us in the Southeast.
While we lived in Louisiana we watched WWL for our news. There was a sportscaster on there named Jim Henderson. We really liked Jim, and he loved his Saints - but there was not a whole lot to cheer about back then. After the game, Brad said he would have loved to hear Jim's call of the game-winning kick by Hartley. I heard it on Supertalk Radio a little earlier today. I honestly think Jim was crying......
I have a feeling Mardi Gras has started early this year!
I'm an SEC girl through and through, but last night's game had me rooting for a Texas Longhorn team I knew little about.
If you watched the game, you know Colt McCoy got hurt in the first few minutes of the game. I can't imagine his frustration-making it this far then getting hurt and watching from the sidelines.
But the more compelling story to me was the poor young guy who had to step up and play quarterback in the national championship game, in front of 94,000+ fans in the stadium and who knows how many more on TV, and face the hardest possible opponent, Alabama.
His name was Garrett Gilbert. A true freshman. He had thrown 26 college passes before last night. I wish I could have seen his face the moment he realized he would be stepping onto the field. Ummmm, are you sure, coach? You know I'm not ready for this. I can't do it. I can't!
At first it was just what everyone expected. Overthrown balls, batted down balls, interceptions. It wasn't looking good. Halftime came and the commentators basically said Texas had zero chance with this guy at quarterback.
The second half started and young Gilbert threw for several first down and then to everyone's surprise even two touchdowns. Before you knew it, Texas had pulled within three points and yes, they had a chance! What a story it would be if this quarterback - fresh from his high school prom - could pull the upset!
But, alas, it didn't happen. Alabama ended up winning the game, but what an enjoyable game it was to watch.
I am proud for the SEC, but to me the winners are Gilbert and all his teammates (including McCoy) who rallied around this inexperienced quarterback and somehow got him to believe he could do it.
And he almost did.
A couple of posts ago I was lamenting how we were not going to see any SEC games on our networks because no one was carrying the games. Well, I was wrong! And I'm so glad!The SEC Network will be providing us with our weekend dose of SEC football. And to make matters even better, guess who will be playing next Saturday on the SEC Network? You got it, Mississippi State! Go Dawgs!
To say this past week was a stressful one would be quite an understatement. Things at Brad's job got worse before they got better. Now we're just waiting to see how everything plays out. As you know, Brad was very disappointed with some choices that were made (a few of his own are included) and consequently does not really know who he can trust. Only time will tell. I personally believe everything will get better from here on out. I'm telling you one thing, girls. I didn't watch Young & Restless all week. I did not need the extra drama. You'd think drama at the workplace would be worse somewhere where there were lots of females, but I have decided this place has any group of women beat. Who said what and what was meant when this was said and who is on whose side. Good grief Charlie Brown. I myself am tired of trying to figure it all out. I don't even know these guys or what they are really thinking. I just know my husband was blessed to get this job (he got it the very next day after being laid off from his previous one), and he better keep it until God moves him. So with all that said, he will be at work tomorrow, and we are praying for a better week. In that case, I don't think it could get much worse. Okay, yes it could. But I hope it doesn't. OK, no more talking about drama, jobs, or drama on the job. Let's talk about boogers. Yes, I said boogers. Did anyone see the Lakers/Magic game tonight? Did anyone else hear Kobe Bryant's wife say to her child (whom Kobe was holding), "You've got a booger."? Please someone say they heard this! Here's how it went down: The Lakers won the series and the court was full of players, coaches, media, and the player's families. Of course, Kobe (being the celebrity he is) was getting alot of air time. He fought through the crowd, saw his wife and two cutesy pie girls, picked them up, and hugged them tight. That's when his wife said it. She said it and reached up and got it. On national TV!No "Congrats, honey!" No "We're going to Disneyworld!" No "I'm so freaking rich because I married you, Kobe!" Nope. Just "You've got a booger." Let Momma get it. I know this woman would not have said that if she had known the camera was on her. But didn't she know there were cameras all around her? I think it is just instinct. In fact, I took a little pleasure in the fact that even though she was married to THE Kobe Bryant, and undoubtedly has a nanny not far from her reach at all times, she would still reach up and get a dangling booger from her child's nose. And she would do it on TV. I'm not sure why I shared that story, but I just had too. For some reason, it just made my day, ummm, night.
I'm still laughing from Brad's post....and from the fact that Poptart peed on the floor while I was gone....glad I missed that one! Thanks for calling me Superwoman (I guess) but I definitely do not qualify! The E-Women conference was great--I pray you each get a chance to attend one. And I am now the newest biggest fan of Matthew West! He put on an awesome show, and we just praised the Lord through his music. Check out his website, okay? Then go buy his CD! You won't regret it!The friend I went with was touched greatly, and I am SO glad she was able to experience the Lord's presence. All in all, it was just awesome! Okay, changing the subject, I hope you enjoyed Brad's post because you will be hearing alot from him starting tomorrow. He will be on his trip beginning Tuesday (and will be gone 8 days!). I have requested him to post about it himself instead of me telling you about it. I hope you will indulge us to use this blog as sort of our "meeting place." He will be posting about his experiences and also posting pictures of what he is seeing. It will be amazing y'all! I can't wait to share it all with you!I guess that's it for now. Look for Brad's post tomorrow about where he's going!*****Oh yeah, one more thing. Check out our buddy Aaron. He won the Conference USA shotput title! He's now heading to regionals in Louisville. We're so proud of you!
A few months ago Gogurt decided to write a letter to Eli Manning and the New York Giants. He diligently checked the mail for days upon days in hopes that Eli had written him back. But no such luck.......until today!!!!!! I checked the mail, saw what was there, and stuck it right back in the box. I wanted Gogurt to find it himself. So when he got home from school, I casually asked him to get the mail for me. We were at the doors and windows watching his response. What you cannot see in this picture is him jumping up and down with pure, unbridled excitement. I can honestly say he has never been that excited over any gift, even on Christmas morning. Santa Claus has nothing on Eli. Inside that beloved brown envelope was a letter from Eli (not handwritten, but still), some autographed photos, a NYG sticker, and a refrigerator magnet photo frame. Pretty cool, huh? Gogurt sure thought so. He immediately wanted to frame the letter (it is now sitting on our mantle for everyone to admire) and he then plastered the NYG sticker straight on the door to his room. That'll be fun trying to get off one day. Thanks to the Giants organization for making my son's day!___________Now on a completely different subject, the four of us plus my in-laws are getting up at the crack of dawn (okay, 6:30) to drive an hour to my hometown to be in a 1-mile fun run. That is, if the rain holds off. Then we will stay and enjoy downtown and their arts & crafts festival, watch my niece play in the jazz band, and probably eat lots of unhealthy food 'cuz that's what you are supposed to do after running/walking/strolling a mile, right?__________Oh, and by the way, if you didn't notice, we have a new camera!! Thanks to a couple of very special people for helping us out with that! You know who you are!
So the Tarheels won the NCAA Tourney. And now March Madness is over. I think my family will be in withdrawals.
I'm proud for them, really, I am. I'm glad to see Tyler Hansbrough get a championship. He came back his senior year just for this purpose and so I'm glad he reached that goal. And his brother played for Mississippi State a couple of years so we feel like we have a little "connection" to the Hansbrough family.
We stayed up and watched the ENTIRE game. And it wasn't even that great of a game. But we were determined. Poptart fell asleep during the second half , but Gogurt made it through the whole game! I couldn't believe it!
Congrats Tarheels...You guys really did deserve this championship.
As you can tell from my last post, we are avid college basketball fans. And what better month for a college basketball fan than March? It's March Madness, baby!
MSU received a 13 seed which was a little disappointing. We won the entire SEC Tournament, but now we have to travel across country to play Washington, in an arena only 3 hours from their campus. You can read here what our coach and players think about that.....it might surprise you.
No matter, our boys have made us proud.....a few weeks ago a trip to the NCAA tournament was looking highly unlikely. Now we're in - and we couldn't be prouder.
If you are not a fan of college basketball, my apologies, because I'm sure this won't be my last post about the tournament!
If you are a fan of college basketball, enjoy the Madness!!
