Me? A Bandwagoner?

I just felt like I ran ten miles. 

I'm not really sure how that feels, because I'm pretty sure that the farthest I've ever ran is about 1.5 miles around the Breathitt High football stadium, and that was almost twenty years ago, but I'm pretty sure my heart is pounding more than it did back then.

And speaking of football, I really had a sacrilegious thought just now.

Why is American football called football?

Because, obviously, there are only a few times during the game that it is actually kicked... the rest of the time, it's flying through the air or being carried down the field.

I'm not yet ready to declare that American football is not the real football, but I'm thinking that soccer is pretty awesome, too.

I've never claimed not to be a bandwagon fan.  Oh, there are my teams that I am die-hard for. Pittsburgh.  UK basketball. 

But if they aren't playing, it's ok for me to cheer for another team.

and so today I jumped on the soccer bandwagon.

I've watched some soccer before; namely when Kami was four and played.  Our biggest concern then was that her yellow uniform looked nice with her dark brown hair and eyes.

I also watched Gentry and Landry play for Jackson, and hope to catch Landry play again this year, since he's a senior.

And I've always liked it...

It's exciting.  And really, shouldn't we all just stand up and clap for those guys and gals who hit the ball with their heads? Can you even imagine???

But today, watching the US almost come from behind in the World Cup, I discovered a new love for the sport.

You won't catch me following professional soccer teams, because I still don't understand what justifies a free kick or a penalty.  I'm pretty sure that they can kick it from the corner if it goes out of bounds, but don't quote me on that.

However, in that last minute of the game, I may or may not have been just as excited as I was a few years ago when Pittsburgh was in the Super Bowl.  Ok, maybe not that excited, but you get the picture. 

I'm pretty sure that Gentry, who apparently was watching the game in his cleats just in case he got the call to hop on the plane to go be the hero (just passing on info from Al's tweet.. I was not in attendance at the Hayes house to watch the game), would have been pretty proud that I was down on my one knee in the living room floor  the last minute of that game.

Maybe he can give me some tutoring once he calms down a little.

Now, can someone please give those guys some oxygen, an IV with potassium, and some Gatorade, since they probably sweated out their body weight?  And also, can someone give the goalie a special medal and declare him US Cup winner since he basically kept us in the game with innumerable saves?

I've got to go lay down.  That game made me tired.

USA.  USA.  USA.

What I Learned in June

Most months I try to link up with Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky for the what I learned this month post... but she is taking a break for the summer. However, I have really become cognizant of things that I'm learning, and thought I'd go ahead and share.  It amazes me how I have started seeking out learning opportunities. So, here you go... what I learned in June.

1. The first video to play on MTV was Video Killed the Radio Star. Kind of ironic, don't you think? Rod Stewart was the first artist to have two videos played in one day.  And Michael Jackson's Thriller Video was 14 minutes long. 
And is it just me, but does that singer sound just a little like a souped up Kermit the Frog in the beginning of that song?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8h5OEivJdA

And just so you know, I researched this after an extensive conversation between Wallace and I on the way home from Louisville.  I'm not sure how the topic came up, but Iphones are awesome.  And if I learned it on the internet, it has to be true, right?

2. The Cheesecake Factory doesn't open until 1130 during the week.  I may have cried, just a little.

3. Thanksgiving truly was not recognized as a national holiday with the Pilgrims.  In fact, it wasn't until the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln that Thanksgiving became a day set aside for national thanks.  And because that probably seems totally crazy for me to be thinking about Thanksgiving... I was reading Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and it talked about the holiday, and then I looked it up to learn more, because I knew I'd be writing about what I learned this month... and also, pie is in season anytime, even if pumpkins aren't.

4.My Grandpa used to call us kaddidlehopper all of the time when I was little.  To my amazement, this wasn't just a term he made up.  There was a character, Clem Kadiddlehopper, on Red Skeleton.  Chances are, my Grandpa was familiar with that character.  Check out this clip of Kadiddlehopper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-jeIdQwKY

I learned this when reading about Red Skeleton in The Ones Who Hit the Hardest, about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Again, I don't remember how the two went together, but when I read kaddidlehopper I had to keep looking, because that word has been so much a part of my childhood.

5. The terrible towel is a legend in Pittsburgh.  I have one hanging in my office at work.  The terrible towel was created as a marketing scheme by Myron Cope, who initially informed his boss that he didn't do marketing, and then changed his tune when his boss suggested that he might be fired otherwise.  The line Myron Cope used to encourage Steelers fans to bring a terrible towel to a game... get a yellow dish towel. "If you don't own one, buy one. If you don't want to buy one, dye one."  The terrible towel I have now has printed on it "The Official Myron Cope Terrible Towel." I've seen pictures of babies in Pittsburgh swaddled in these in the hospital.  Sometimes I wish Caleb was born in Pittsburgh for just that reason.

6. Electronic Monopoly- yes, there is such a thing, where players use an ATM card instead of paper money.  That seems Un-American to me, yet is completely a sign of our times.  I was amazed when Caleb enlightened me.

7.  Kentucky law about bathing once a year- yes, we really have a law that says this.  I am appalled. 

8. The Wright Brothers are buried in Dayton, Ohio, in Woodland Cemetery, as is my Great-Aunt Virginia and Great-Uncle Paul.  A truly beautiful cemetery with some fabulous looking grave markers.  And no, I'm not strange, I promise.  I've just always loved to visit old cemeteries, look at the tombstones, and reflect on what those lives might have been.  OK, maybe just a LITTLE weird.

9. I may have known this, but I forgot it.  Casey Kasem was the voice of Shaggy on Scooby Doo. 

10. An octopus doesn't have eight legs- it has eight appendages, and six of those are now classified by marine biologists as "arms". What?  (See, buzzfeed is good for something!)

11. Sometimes, it really is nice to just rest.  I've enjoyed this month of family, reading, relaxing, swimming.  Wallace and I said this was going to be our best summer ever... and a month into it, I'm pretty sure that so far it is.

Be blessed!

Tonight, I'm Gone with the Wind

At the beginning of the summer, I had two books that I really wanted to read. 

Ok, I have a to read list that is extremely long, but these two books I really, really wanted to read. 

They just might be the epitome of Southern American literature.... in my humble opinion, at least.

So, in June, I fell in love (again) with To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout Finch and Jem, honorable Atticus, and Boo Radley... well, they remind you about what family truly is and that sometimes, the good guy does win the war, even if you lose a battle. 

And in July, I'll be reading the best book ever.

I have a funny system of reading books. Because my bookshelf is so overcrowded, at the beginning of the summer, I selected seven books and sat them on my bedside table. As I've read one, I've replaced it.  Last night I finished the book I was reading and told Wallace to select a number between 0-7... and he chose the number that corresponded with Gone with the Wind.  As I picked it up he must have saw the look of love on my face.

"Are you going to read that?" He asked, looking at the size of the book.

Oh, yes. For about the seventh time.

I first read Gone with the Wind in high school.  I can remember pulling the cover over my head as Sherman marched into Atlanta, continuing with bated breath as Scarlett and Melanie traversed through the wilderness, the Yankees just a short distance between them. What would happen? Would they make it to Tara?

And I may have cried a little when Rhett left.  I wanted to shake Scarlett because Ashley just didn't seem like who she should be with, yet she still pined over him.

I've learned a lot from Gone with the Wind.

1. There is no place like home.  Ok, this line is from the Wizard of Oz, but Scarlett takes it serious, too. As she comes upon a war-torn Tara, her heart breaks and mine did, too. Tara was her Father's legacy.  Gerald O'Hara knew that land was the only thing worth fighting for.  Tara became her legacy, and she was willing to fight for it. To defend it. To be courageous even as she faced the enemy.

2. Birthin' a baby can be difficult, especially when the doctor is too busy with Confederate casualties and you have to help deliver a baby that belongs to the man you love... with the help of a whiny teenager. My favorite line of the movie just may be from Prissy: "Ms. Scarlett, I don't know nothin' bout birthin' no babies." I repeat it often when talking about nursing specialties, because I have no desire to work OB. 

3. Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Nothing is more desperate than sewing your dress from a set of curtains. And might I add that she looked beautiful in that dress?


4. Tomorrow really is another day. I love Scarlett for many reasons.  I love her because she brings to mind everything that I imagine in the South.  I love her dresses, her pouting, and even though I don't necessarily like her manipulation, she is a better character for it.  She is determined and courageous and willing to fight for what she wants... which isn't necessarily always a great thing. But what I really love about Scarlett is when she decides to procrastinate, because if you know me, you know that I am a true procrastinator. When Scarlett declares, "I'll think about that tomorrow," I want to stand up and cheer. Yes, Scarlett. Tomorrow. 

If you've never read the book and like to read, go buy it now. I'll let you borrow mine when I get done.  I have an old hardback copy in my living room, but it isn't for reading.  I also may have let Kami borrow one, and never gotten it back, but that is ok because I am a true lover of this book and believe that everyone should have their own copy.

And if you compare it to the movie.... well, it's better.  Of course, I always say books are better than the movies.  This is truly one of the only books that I can vividly picture what the author is trying to portray in my mind. 

So, there you have it.  My happiness for the next few days... spent with the gentlemen and ladies of the South. And, perhaps, some who are not gentlemen or ladies...

A Life Vision

This week winds down a five week study through Proverbs 31 OBS Ministries of Derwin Gray's A Limitless Life.

I've also been reading Pursuing the Intentional Life by Jean Fleming.

The past six months have been filled with changes, some good, some bad.  Actually, this time last year was froth with indecision and uncertainty so really the last year could be defined as a catalyst for this post... maybe not necessarily for myself, but for people that I love.  And since I turn 35 in September, these past few weeks have been a reflection of my life now and where I want it to go.

How fitting that one of the assignments on the blog this week was to craft a life statement and a life vision.

I've tried to do that before, but struggled.  The exercise had us answer five questions related to where we wanted to be in ten years, how we've wanted to be seen, things that make our soul sing (I love that), and generally just reflecting on life.

Always before, when I struggled with crafting a vision or a mission statement for my life, it is because I was wrapped up in doing.

I frequently defined myself in the things that I did.  I'm a mother,  a coach's wife, a nurse, a teacher, a student, a reader, a football fan... you get the picture.

And while all these things are true, they don't really define me. All of these roles point me toward an eternal destination. All of these roles provide me with a way  to impact others for Christ. The point of life isn't how great a mom or wife or nurse or teacher I am... but rather, how much glory do I bring God as I am doing those things?  And I'm realizing that it could be so much more...

I have a bucket list of all kinds of things I want to do before I die.  My goals have often been centered on professional accomplishments.... what can I DO?

And as I've embraced my word of the year, "be", I'm reminded of what God tells me.  "Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:11).

At the beginning of the year, I sought out the first part of that verse.  Be still and know that I am God.

As I'm reflecting, though, I see that when I am still, just being and not focusing so much on the doing, my ultimate purpose in life is realized.

For Him to be exalted. For Him to be glorified.

Through me.

Through my actions, my roles, my responsibilities. When I am in His Will, allowing Him to reflect through my life, He is exalted. He's exalted every time I teach a student how to do an assessment focusing on the patient as a person, and every time I tell a student to keep at it.  He's exalted every time I bring a popsicle to the gym and brag on my girls.  He's exalted in every peanut butter and jelly sandwich I make for Wallace.  He's exalted when I am at a football game and the fan from the other team is driving me crazy, but I compliment their players because they are just kids, too. He's exalted when I don't yell at Caleb (Oh, this one definitely needs work). Every smile I give to someone in Walmart, every time I hold a door open, every time I let someone else out in traffic... He is exalted.

They will know us by the fruit that we bear... because His light will shine through us.

Let it no longer be what I can accomplish, what I can check off my to do list, what goals I can reach.

My life vision in 140 characters or less, "To live full of Jesus, love, compassion & encouragement, a light to others, giving honor to those before me and leaving a legacy of grace."

May I do this as a being... and bring You glory.

Five Minute Fridays- Lost

When I read the word for the prompt this morning, I almost laughed out loud.  Wallace and I were in one vehicle driving home from Destin, with Papaw, Nana, and Caleb in another vehicle.  Both cars were comparing GPS systems for the most reliable way home.

GPS systems are great.  They didn't fail us as we journeyed to Destin for the first time this year.  On the trip home, I thought about how nice these inventions were.  I could even speak into my IPhone, for crying out loud, and figure out where the closest Bob Evans was.  (For wondering minds, it wasn't close enough, and I had to settle for Cracker Barrel instead). 

Today on the trip home I thought about how much fun the journey places can be, especially when you have a full tank of gas and know where you are going.

But the journey can turn into no fun really quick when you take the wrong turn, especially when it's because a mechanical voice told you too.

Especially when your cousin is starting his first high school varsity football game, and the GPS was supposed to take you to the football field, and you instead ended up in a field in the middle of nowhere.

"You've arrived at your destination." It announced... with no football lights in sight.

Oh, to be lost...especially when you thought you knew where you are going.  Especially when you thought you were taking a shortcut.

We are like that a lot.  I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel lost sitting in my living room.  I feel lost staring at the computer screen.  I feel lost driving down the road, knowing exactly where I'm going.

But if we are listening to the true navigator, the true GPS, we are never really lost...

we may just be taking the scenic route.

And that's what makes life fun...

Linking up with Five Minute Fridays where we are given a prompt and write for five minutes without editing. Today's prompt- LOST.

Limitless- Snap it

 Limitless...no end in sight.  No end to even imagine.  Whatever you can think of, and even more.  Kind of like standing on a balcony overlooking the ocean.  It stretches out in front of you, blue, waves rippling as they gently reach the shore.  It seems infinite, and to our eye, it is.  Just a few clouds breaking the view to let you know where the ocean ends and the sky begins... except the ocean doesn't really end at the sky, it just looks that way.

 Because sometimes you really can't see that distinction. Sometimes the ocean may be a little murky, and you're not sure what is in the water with you.  You're not sure if you will make it as the waves break over you, knocking you down.  The salt water gets in your nose and it causes you to choke a little.  As you stagger to the shore, you feel beaten and broken.  Unsure of your next step... and maybe when you reach the shore you find it isn't soft sand, but rocky and rough.  You've reached your limit.

 Except you haven't, because with God there is no limit.  He wants to make you limitless, just like the ocean. And when the sun comes out and the Son is within you, that's possible, because His Spirit can do all things.  All things. There are no limits. No limits to His grace. No limits to His love.  No limits to the work He wants to do within you and through you.  More than you can ever imagine.

The sun comes out, and the view is beautiful...and it is you. And Him in you. 

Limitless.  No stopping you now. Get out there and shine.

 

Five Minute Fridays- Release

Release... let go.  Unchain. Become free.

When I read the prompt, I thought how nice that sounded.

Like when you hold your breath and you don't realize it... and then you take that big breath of fresh air.

Or even when the air is thick with electricity, dark storm clouds overhead, wind blowing... and then the cloud bursts, releasing a torrent.

And then I thought of my little sister, who at the age of 3 was locked in a car. 

In the middle of July.

Completely an accident... she was in her car seat and as I turned to get her out, I bumped the door shut.

The keys were still in the ignition.

No big deal, though, because she knew how to release the car seat latch.

I pleaded and begged through the window.

"Come on, Kami.  Open up the latch.  Just push the button."

She'd shake her head no, tears welling up in her big brown eyes, her little pig-tails bobbing back and forth. 

"Come on, it's hot.  Just get out of the car seat."

No...

Not going to do it.

And the temperature was 98 on the bank sign, and sweat poured down her cheeks, and fifteen minutes had passed and I was frantic.

Finally someone brought a pair of keys and I unlatched her.

"Why, Kami?"

"Because Holly told me never to get myself out of the car seat by myself."

And isn't life like that? Don't we all stay locked up sometimes because of what other people have told us or what we've told ourselves or how inadequate we feel?

Come on, take a deep breath... and release it.

It's time to break free and let loose.

Linking up with Five Minute Fridays, where a word is given as a prompt and we write for five minutes unedited.  Thanks for stopping by.