I play ball like a girl

This is the third (maybe forth) year that I have played Fantasy Football Pick 'Em. Basically instead of having a team and setting line ups, each week I pick the winners of all the games and choice a number of confidence points. I get the points for each game that I get right. Josh heads up a league with his dad, other youth ministers and friends. I have been the only girl since I started until this year when my sister-in-law Lauren played too.

Last year I ended I think in 4th place but....THIS YEAR I WON IT ALL! I was so proud of myself, not only for winning, but for winning the season that I was pregnant, had a baby, was sleep deprived AND that I beat a bunch of guys who love football.

In other exciting news: Josh got up to help me when Addison woke up screaming because she was hungry (you would have thought we were starving her). So, I run into her room, Josh wakes up and follows me but after a few minutes I told him to go back to bed. He walked out of her room and into ours and then I hear a loud scream followed by sounds of him in pain. I get up (while still trying to feed Addie so she doesn't cry) to go see if he is ok. Josh is on the floor after hitting his toe on our wooden bed. It's probably broken. He tells me to go keep feeding Addie and put her to bed because I can't really help him with her attached anyway. Josh goes to get an ice pack from the kitchen and ends up trailing blood through the house. Eventually his toe was bandaged and we are all back in bed asleep. It didn't help that Addison has gone back to not sleeping more than 4 hours at a time when for several weeks she was sleeping at least 6. Needless to say, we are all pretty tired today.

Our house is also a total disaster and driving me crazy. Last week a sweet friend gave me 12 boxes of baby and toddler clothes which I went through and sorted. I have boxes all over the living room that need to be taken somewhere else or put away in Addie's room. Josh leaves on Thursday to take his SALT (Servant Action Leadership Team) kids to Arlington for the Winterfest youth rally. Connie (who watches Addie while we work) is going with him so I have Addie all to my self for 4 1/2 days. I'm a little nervous about that since I'm already stressed and tired. I'm sure we will make it even if nothing else that I need to do gets done. It may also help that Addison is getting better at playing on her own, unfortunately she doesn't nap as often.

Other than the chaos that is pretty normal, life is going well. Sorry this post was so scattered. I'm at work and trying to do too many things at once!

Proud to be a Longhorn

Thursday night was bittersweet. The Texas Longhorns lost the National Championship to Alabama 37-21. The loss was frustrating for all Longhorn fans. It was even more so because Colt McCoy was injured in the first few minutes of the game. The last report I read said that he had a sprained shoulder and possibly a pinched nerve and that it was Coach Brown's choice not to put him back in the game. So,a true freshman QB went in to play and did better than I expected.

As hard as it must have been for Colt not to play in the National Championship and the last game of his record-setting college career - this is where the sweet part comes in. HE STILL GAVE GLORY TO GOD! In an emotional interview Colt said that he was still "standing on the rock". My first reactions was that this is an incredible witness to his teammates, the Alabama team, coaches, friends and anyone watching. It's easy to praise God when you win the game or win the award or get what you want. It's much harder to praise Him in the storm but that's what Colt did. I'm not saying he is perfect. But I was proud to be a longhorn fan and proud to be a christian.

I saw several facebook status' about this. One that was my favorite said "it's ok. He is second." If you haven't seen the video on yotube with Colt and Sam Bradford you shoud watch it! I don't know if any of Colt and Jordan Shipley's teammates have come to know Christ through them. But, my prayer that night was the God heals their emotional and physical wounds, that He grows the seeds they have planted with their outspoken love for Christ. I saw another facebook status from a family at Westover Hills (where I grew up and where Colt and Jordan attend church) that said "...God has great things in store for him and I am not talking about football." I have heard that the Longhorns motto for this season is Jeremiah 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him". I pray that God will continue to use these Godly men to spread His word and glorify His name. I am proud to be a Longhorn.

Random Stuff

* Josh was doing well earlier in the week but the past few days have been pretty rough. He was supposed to go to Men's Retreat this weekend but isn't going to go.

* The last couple of days have been in the upper 70s here and it is wonderful. It makes me so anxious for summer. Even being super pregnant I can't wait to go for walks, hang out at the pool etc.

* I read a Sports Illustrated article yesterday about Dwight Howard. I think he is awesome. He is 23 and an unbelievable player but he still laughs, jokes around, and doesn't get caught up in the trash talk and drama of the NBA. Very cool. Shaq is jealous.

* I am really looking forward to eating lots of Cajun Cones in Abilene while at Kadesh this summer.

* Speaking of Kadesh, I have been excited about it all year as this is the first time I will be able to go in awhile and it was supposed to be my favorite curriculum - Hope. Apparently they have changed theme's to a new one and I'm not very happy about that.

* I have read 3 books in the last 2 weeks. I was about to start another one but I think I need a little bit of a break.

Blessings from disappointment

Today was a huge disappointment for a lot of people when OU was ranked above Texas in the BCS. When I first found out I was really bummed...but no matter what happens there is a bright side. I was in Austin off and on this past week. I also read several articles about Jordan Shipley, Colt McCoy and even Tech's Graham Harrell. They are all strong christan men who have their faith as a priority. Colt and Jordan both attend Westover Hills Church of Christ where I grew up. I even caught a glimpse of Colt at church today. Jordan recently went and talked to the Westover Youth Group.

Anyway, the point of all this is that while I was wallowing in self-pity because my team didn't get the bid to go to the Big 12 Chamionship, I realized that this disappointment could be a great opportunity. If Colt and Jordan (as well as other UT players) are the type of men that they have the reputation of being then I believe that they will handle this situation by relying on their faith and still finding joy in Christ. What I have prayed for is that the other players will see how they respond and that seed will be planted in their hearts.

Don't get me wrong, I really really really hope there is still a chance for the Longhorns to go to the Championship. - I did read an article that says that have a slim shot if Missouri beats OU http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/sports/ncaafootball/01side.html?_r=1 - But even if they don't even play in a big bowl game, its ok. God is bigger than football. I feel kind of stupid writting about this because in the grand scheme of things this is just one college football season. But even if it seems silly, God can use this situation to further His kingdom and I'm sure that he can use 2 Longhorn football players who Him.


I really just like this picture....

Zumba

Last night I took a Zumba class for the first time and it was AWESOME! There was a 30 minute class before my yoga workout so I decided to go. It combined a warm up, toning and cardio all in the form of latino dances. The instructor told us not to worry about if the steps were right and just to have fun. Zumba combines Latin rhythms with cardio exercise to create an aerobic routine that is fun and easy to follow. The name Zumba is derived from a Colombian word meaning to move fast and have fun. Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip-hop, pop, mambo, rumba, flamenco, and calypso and Salsaton. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms to help tone and sculpt the body. We had a blast - like being in a club except in nasty workout clothes. If you get a chance to try it you definitely should. 24 hour fitness has regular classes - just FYI. It's fun but hard work - my butt and legs are hurting today!

A Time of Mourning

On Saturday night something tragic happened - the #1 Texas Longhorns lost to Texas Tech. The first half was miserable and the Horns didn't play well at all. Then during the second half they were able to rally and scored to get the lead with 1:29 left in the game. Unfortunately that was enough time for the Raiders to score again and win. Heartbreaking to say the least. But, it's ok, it's not over.

To Colt McCoy and the rest of the team: Don't give up yet. I still like you and will still root for you.

The fun begins

Today is the start of the NBA 2008-2009 season. I liked basketball before I married Josh but now my interest has definitely increased beyond casual like. My favorite team is the Dallas Mavericks. Now that Josh and I live in Denver we try to go to the games where the Mavs are in town to play the Nuggets.

I really like Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. In fact, I frequently get made fun of because one of the things I like about them is that they are such good friends. I know it's a girly reason, but I think it's great - they used to hang out all the time and are still good friends now that they are on separate teams, Dirk is even the god-father for Nash's daughters. There was actually a Sports Illustrated article either last year or the year before about how they have stayed friends even though they now compete against each other.



So, yeah, its not a typical reason to like players but I don't care. I love the sport and if the players are good guys who are good role models it just makes things even better. I'm sure there will be more posts about basketball, Nash, Dirk and players I truly don't like (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, etc) through out the season. Stay tuned....

22 yards

This may seem trivial but I wanted to share my recent accomplishment...

Every once in a while Josh and I will walk down to the part by our apartment and play football. We usually play catch for an hour or so and then head home. He has been teaching me how to throw a good line drive and a tight spiral. If I can brag on my self for a little bit, I can throw better than most girls I know. This past Saturday we were playing and Josh decided to see how far I could throw a good pass. We set the mark at 20 yards. I was able to get it there a few times and once even made 22 yards!! I know that's not that great for even a middle school boy, but I felt pretty accomplished that I could throw a decent pass that far. Plus, my arm is sore to prove it. I wish I had taken a picture to post - maybe next time.

During this event, Josh jammed his pinkie finger. He said it was a bad throw, I say that it was a bad catch but either way - Josh, I am sorry that you are hurt and I appreciate you hanging out and playing for the afternoon!

Longhorn Football

I grew up a lot of different places but I consider myself my Austin, Texas. Part of the greatness that makes up Austin is University of Texas, specifically Longhorn Football. In honor of this great football team I will have posted some pictures...

Vince Young after winning the Championship!



UT Tower after Championship



Coach Mack Brown



Colt McCoy



Major Applewhite's last game

Baseball

"The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again." - James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams (1989)

Tonight I get to go to my first baseball game of the summer. It the Rockies at home against the Brewers. I have loved baseball sine I was a little girl. My first memory of a game was at Fenway Park with my dad. Baseball has changed a lot over the years. I think right now I may love the history of baseball rather than the game itself. Right now it's a mess with steriods, huge contracts, egos etc. The history of basball is filled with great stories - Ted Williams was the last hitter to have an average over .400 in a single season (it was .406 in 1941), Lou Gehrig's streak of consecutive games was the record for over 50 years until it was broken in 1995 by Cal Ripken Jr, Dimaggio is said to be the greatest player ever and had a hitting streak of 56 games. There is so much about baseball history that I love: 1921 Yankees, Red Soxs finally breaking the curse, Hank Aaron (I was so sad when his home run record was broken), Babe Ruth, Joe Jackson, Stan Musial etc etc. Not that those guys were perfect at all - some of them were jerks like some players now are jerks but it seemed that they were so passionate about the game.
“The great trouble with baseball today is that most of the players are in the game for the money and that's it, not for the love of it, the excitement of it, the thrill of it.” Ty Cobb
Baseball may seem boring to some people but it's history and memories are amazing. I love the feeling of walking into a ballpark, watching baseball movies (2 of the 4 movies I have cried in were baseball movies), and seeing men do something great on the ball field. Going to a baseball game is a sure sign of summer and filled with memories - I will always love it.