Living Intentionally

This has been something that I have been thinking about and in many ways applying to my everyday life.

As most families, we've experienced our share of ups and downs and have learned how to navigate our way through it, attempting to find balance. One way that I've accomplished this is by living intentionally - not just letting life happen but making and participating in the choices that I have the ability to make.

I know that I cannot control everything that happens to me or my family. I can't control the cancer in my Dad's body. I can't fix the residual ailments that still plague my Mom as a result of the sepsis. This is what we are living through now and it is not easy.

So what do I do with that? I can choose to become paralyzed and walk aimlessly through each day or I can be an active participant and maybe have a positive impact. I choose the latter. This does not mean every day goes as planned. Nor is my schedule always filled with things that I would choose to be doing. There are many nights I am just worn out and exhausted and sometimes I've awakened in that same state. But 'living intentionally' is what allows me to roll with the punches. This is why, no matter what happens, I can get up again.

Today I enjoyed watching Jeter and his team start the spring season of soccer. It was cold and Barber was getting a little antsy but I relished the fact that we were able to be there as a family.

Do you live intentionally? What does that look like in your everyday?

Midday Smile

Amidst the busy-ness of today's plans, I stopped to check my email and found that Simms sent me an message with this link that caused me to smile. Football fans understand.

Now...back to work!

Riddle Me This

What would cause me to dress myself with five layers on top and two layers on bottom and then purposefully be in the constant rain for about 3-1/2 hours?

Need some more information to answer that question? Here are some hints:

Top Layers:
1. Under Armour Long Sleeve Shirt.
2. Jersey with the number "31" on it.
3. Hooded sweatshirt
4. LandsEnd Squall Jacket
5. Hooded Jacket that is lined with sweatshirt material.

Bottom Layers:
1. Leggings
2. Lined windpants

Also...two pairs of sock and hiking boots.

One final clue - the numbers 23 and 7 are very important.

(Cue theme song from Jeopardy)

Times up? Did you guess it? If so...don't read any further before you leave me a comment.

Simms and I received FREE tickets to the Giants/Redskins game at the Fed Ex Field. It was a 1:00 game and we were there until the very last second. Die hard fans. You know this mom will never complain about watching my boys play in the rain. The key is to be prepared and not care if you look 5 times your size! Oh...and the Giants won 23-7.

Blindsided

Blindside means to attack from the blind side; to attack somebody suddenly and physically by hitting the person on a side where his or her peripheral vision is obstructed. It also means to attack when vulnerable; to take somebody unawares suddenly, with detrimental results to that person.

Have you ever done this to someone? Maybe...if you played sports? In football, when this happens and a great tackle results, fans cheer and the replay is shown again and again and again. The commentator may even say something like "Whoa! He never saw that coming!"

I've also heard this term used when a car accident was referenced.

I think the reason why the results are so detrimental is because the person who is blindsided is unaware of what is about to take place and therefore completely unprepared.

I've recently experienced this. Not physically like a football player and my car is still intact. In fact, the individual involved was not necessarily purposeful in the attack, and yet, I felt like my feet were knocked out from underneath me. What made it more difficult is the source of the blow - from an unexpected and trusted source. The result for me was almost crippling and it would have been if I stopped here.

I think that is what many do - and I was tempted to. I had many sample conversations going on in my brain. I cried many tears. Stumbling through even one day is one too many. If this is where I stayed, it would have grown like a cancer and ultimately destroyed me.

What I did next is why I am writing this post. I want my boys to grasp this important truth. I want them to be empowered and know that there is always blessing in obedience - even if it feels like sacrifice. Feelings are real and you are allowed to feel them, process them, etc. However, the thing that will have such a huge impact on your life and those that you impact is what you do next.

So what did I do? Like I said, I was tempted to stew. On some level, it would have been easier but I couldn't do that. I don't want to live life that way. I can't live life that way. I first prayed - not anything amazing - I simply asked God for help and for Him to be with me - and then I called her. It wasn't easy. I had to allow myself to be vulnerable and transparent. I also had to listen to her heart.

It was worth it.

There are no walls. Our relationship is still strong.

This is real life. We crave relationship. Those we are in relationship with will hurt us. Sometimes, those we are closest to cut the deepest. How will we respond to the wound? Treat it or ignore it, allowing infection to breed and fester? Our choices will either strengthen or destroy our relationships. I value those that I love and therefore cannot ignore conflict. I pray that Jeter and Barber apply this throughout their lives as well - especially if someday I am the one that unknowingly blindsides them.

And that is why, if my son gets knocked down or tripped up on the soccer field, I am so proud of him when he gets back up, brushing it off and continues to play. He is practicing a life lesson.

Rain Rain Go Away...

...come again another day!

My 4 year old has a sad face. Today finally came - the day of his first ever real soccer. This is how he was describing his first soccer game. Apparently practice isn't real soccer.

This mama is now working to find a fun way to salvage our day with a cooler full of food and family visiting for opening day. I'm thinking a pseudo picnic in the family room.

You Guessed It!

Melissa and Livin' Life were correct - partially. I know others of you must have guessed correctly as well - like Mr. Thrills. Yes, the New York Giants played their first game of the season but more than that - for football fans everywhere - the kickoff last night also marked the beginning on the 2008 season of football and everyone can be happy about that, no matter what team is your favorite!

Some highlights and other thoughts:

• It was so awesome that they started the game earlier so that Barber and Jeter could watch at least part of the game. Barber stayed up until half time and quite reluctantly went up to bed. We actually let Jeter stay up for the entire game.
• The start of the game was awesome for us NYG fans. Strahan really enjoyed getting that stadium rockin'. I even got goosebumps!
• It was so great to see Eli run it in for a touchdown after juking out his opponent.
• Jacobs was on fire!
• Where is Boss? I didn't see a lot of action from him.
• Burress looked good as did Smith and Ward.
• I'd like to see more from Toomer offensively and Tuck defensively.
• Can you believe Pierce headbutted his opponent at the end of a scuffle without his helmet (it got pulled off). That wasn't very smart.
• I was praying for Smoot. He was in a lot of pain. I don't like to see anyone badly hurt regardless of what team they play for.
• Giants got a lot of penalties last night. The one call for face mask was totally wrong. What were the officials looking at?
• For how much we dominated the game, the score should have been higher than 16-7. Our offensive coaches and players need to make the proper adjustments.
• Some of Eli's passes were great, some were way off target. He also needs to stop telegraphing them.

Woooooooooo Hoooooooooo!

Super Bowl XLII Champions

New York Giants

Wowzers

Wow!

Amazing!

Edge of my seat!

Always keep you watching til the last second!

That's my Giants...and we are going to the SuperBowl!

Woo hoo!

In Honor of Toomer

In honor of the record breaking Toomer (and just because I am a fan) I wanted to post something about my Giants. I have definitely been smiling these last 5 weeks!

Simms sent me this link today. This guy is totally a NY Giants fan! I highly recommend it for any fans out there.

Can You Have a Marathon of Events?

What a busy Saturday we had!

It started bright and early for Jeter's soccer game at 9:00AM. There are normally 3 coaches working the sidelines but one was at another game for his child and the other ended up reffing the game. That left Simms to run up and down the sidelines - encouraging the boys and girls. Seriously. He is a coach that loves the game of soccer but loves the kids more. His heart is filled when he sees them doing their best!

We then drove to the vet to pick up food for Gese. She has prescription food. She is allergic to protein. But with this food - that has an anti-diuretic in it - she has lived a full 8-1/2 years and is still healthy and strong. Anyway, we then drove home to feed Gese and get ready for the next 4 parts of our day.

We left the house around noon to visit our Alma mater. It has been 15 years! Jeter says he definitely wants to go to college here and loved the science museum. It's good that we are saving now but we are already a few thousand shy of paying for his freshman year! Oh my!!! 3 years of my college experience is equivalent to the cost of one year now. Ugh. Thankfully we have another 12 years to save with interest compounding.

It was good to visit with former classmates but unfortunately many on my "catch up list" didn't make it to the reunion. Don't get me wrong, I do very well at small talk...it's just not my favorite thing. I don't see a lot of value in it. Thankfully, I was able to have a few meaningful conversations as well. A most enjoyable person to see during the day was my former student teacher who has now been teaching for four years! Wow! I am so proud of her. She is dynamic and I know she is blessing the lives of so many high school students! Can you imagine what it meant to me when she told me that she still uses my lessons and projects?!?

We left the reunion at 5:15PM to go to church. Simms led worship (I handled the songshow) for the children. I was surprised at the energy that Barber and Jeter still had. We left at 6:30PM to drop the boys off for a relaxing evening with Brady at Grammie and Poppy's house while we joined Promises and Dawson to go see the Hershey Bears game. They won!
Fun day but I cannot lie - I was exhausted at the end of the day.

I am not even going to document Sunday but want to simply add "Go Giants!". We didn't see the game but the highlights looked good.

Corner Update

What a busy weekend. Whew! Here are some highlights...

1. Jeter's team had a great game on Saturday. Jeter took two shots on goal but didn't score. He also had some great defensive kicks and was focused throughout the game. We are so proud!

2. It was extremely hot again this weekend. Relatively annoying weather patterns for fall right now. I personally like all kinds of weather (definitely a seasons girl) but when it ricochets, illness seems to erupt. Jeter and Barber are both now fighting congestion and elevated temps.

3. Simms and I were given tickets to the Redskins / Giants game in DC yesterday! What a great time we had! Thanks to Grammie and Poppy who watched the boys so we could go. Especially since we were originally watching Brady due to Li'l Sis and Dawson's fun Sunday plans! Simms was ready to leave at the half but I convinced him to stay and see how the Giants started the 3rd quarter. Needless to say, we stayed until the end of the game. It then took us an hour to get from the parking lot to the highway but it was totally worth it!

Ward has definitely stepped up his game. Someone must of gotten in Buress' face at the half and grilled into him the importance of making the catch and holding onto the ball. Shockey needs to remember that too. Is it possible that the defense got some life breathed into it this week? Perhaps inspired by a veteran because we know that Strahan isn't doing it. And I like the emotion that Eli is adding to his game.

4. Simms is having a blast with our church's Worship Express! It requires high energy but we're seeing God move and that is all that matters.

5. MamaMia and UncleB are visiting from Long Island. Hooray! We just LOVE hanging out with family. Simms squeezed 9 holes of golf (with UncleB, Poppy, and Dawson) in between coaching Jeter's soccer game and then getting to church for the Worship Express. He easily lost 5 pounds from all of the activity! While he golfed, I got to catch up with MamaMia while the boys helped Grammie make a pumpkin pie.

Jeter's First Goal

Soccer season is upon us...and I am loving it! Is it possible to be a "soccer mom" without the negative connotation? If so, that is me.

I wanted to write about Jeter's first game last Saturday but have been so busy with MIA...more on that in a later post.

Back to Jeter. He scored his first goal ever in a game! Woo Hoo! He has scored in scrimmages but hasn't been able to do it during a game. I know I cheered loudly. So did Simms. Couldn't help it. I was so proud of him. He so enjoys the game of soccer (says he wants to coach it when he grows up), and as his Mommy it is just such a pleasure to see him succeed in something he enjoys. This is his third season which shows that practice is necessary for success. As if the first goal wasn't enough, he scored a second one (!!!) - which was taken away because of a controversial off-sides call. People...they are 6 and 7 year olds.

So today is his second game. Hooray!

I just enjoy sports (watching that is). Can you guess what I watched last night? I'll give you a hint. My team won 8-7.

**Updated: Jeter's team won again today. 2-0. He played great. He was in the goal for the first half and was always ready but didn't really see any action. Coach kept him in the entire second half and he was constantly in the mix. He kept his eye on the ball and kept it moving in the direction it needed to be. He had some great offensive passes and a few defensive kicks too. What a great way to start our day!**

The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

I am tired today. Why? Because I stayed up LATE last night watching my Giants. Simms packed it in before 11pm but I couldn't because you never know. Needless to say I did not get to sleep until after 11:30PM. Here is my assessment of last night's game (if you are interested).

The Good

• Eli's passing is definitely improved. Thanks to the new QB coach. He had pass completions to Shockey, Burress, and Toomer. I am so happy to see Toomer back.
• Ward stepping in for Jacobs. He's not a tank but he has some speed.
• Closing the gap to a 1-point difference before the half was impressive.
• Al Michael's stating "The Giants are very resilient". Was that a compliment I heard?

The Bad

• Jacobs out for the rest of the game with a sprained knee.
• Zero pressure on Romo. Not too happy with Strahan missing pre-season. It does make a difference.
• Defense totally incapable of putting a stop to the Romo-Witten connection.
• Seeing the doctor check Eli's right shoulder when there is less than 5 to go! They're saying it's a bruised right shoulder. Ugh.
• Did I mention my disappointment with the defense? Only one sack - and not until the 3rd quarter?!?

The Ugly

• Bumbled attempt at the first opportunity for an extra point.
• Special teams #44 better hold on to that ball...
• Strahan's beard. Simms (mine) thinks it looks good. I'm not a fan
• 3 starters are injured. Injuries destroyed us last season.

The new season has begun and although I saw improvement in some areas (offense) we still ended the game with an "L". We'll see what next week holds...

He Shoots...He Scores...The Crowd Goes Wild!

Today is a HUGE cleaning day for me (probably will leech into tomorrow too)! But I decided to take a break and document one of the things I love about this season/time.

Soccer!

Practices haven't even started yet but they will be up and running shortly. Jeter is playing again this fall and is very excited! Barber still has to wait another year but you wouldn't know it from the way the boys are playing.

Yesterday Barber dressed in XXS pair of soccer shorts with shirt, Jeter's first pair of shin guards (XS) and Jeter's first pair of cleats that will probably fit Barber next year but are 1-1/2 sizes too big right now. Didn't matter to him though. He took off running after the ball and Jeter, laughing and having so much fun. Simms had fun teaching Jeter some new drills and skills.

Right now they are out in the backyard practicing and kicking around the ball while I continue on my cleaning binge. What bliss!

Football Farewell

You may or may not be aware that the NY Giants season is officially over after their 23-20 loss last night to the Eagles last night. Ouch. I am just grateful that they played better then they have the second half of the season. (We taped it while we were at a party last night and then watched it when we got home!) I cannot help but wonder if this is really the last game we will see Tiki play!?! I also wonder if we will have to endure another season with Coughlin's coaching skills. He has truly brought the discipline he talked about 3 years ago when he became our head coach (sarcastically stated). How high are we ranked with penalties? Our "favorite" one seems to be "false start". That is something I hope we can get under control next season. For those of you that could care less about football (which is maybe all of you except maybe one or two) I know you are letting out a sigh of relief that you will be spared posts on this topic...for at least a few months anyway.

Football Venting and Barber's Critique

Yesterday Simms drove to New Jersey to see the Giants play the Eagles at the Meadowlands. It is the last game that he will see "live" with his dad and two uncles. I watched it at my parents' house with Jeter and Barber. Both of us were poised to make some sweet memories with family. Unfortunately...the game didn't provide any hint of "sweetness" to our memories. Nope. It is at this time that I will advise all the non-football-fan-readers to skip the next paragraph of writing, while those of you who may enjoy my moment of venting can read on.

Now, even though it is obvious that I like football, and more specifically the Giants, as detailed here, here, here, and here, I am getting frustrated with the turn (for the worse) that has occurred this season. I know injuries have played a role; the lack of Strahan, Arrington, O'Hara and Toomer, as well others, has definitely hampered the success we were seeing at the beginning of the season. I know this is part of the game. It is not like this is the first team this has ever happened to...but... BUT...can we get a little creative with the play calling and not appear so juvenile? I know I am not an expert but even I know whether the play is going to involve Barber or Jacobs. How can I not when they are seemingly never on the offense together in the same play!!! And yes, I know Jacobs made a costly fumble yesterday, but then it seems as though he was told to sit. Why?!? I don't see Coughlin sitting Manning for the next two quarters due to his lack of precision!!! Who is really being punished here??? Jacobs or the entire Giants team and fan base?!? As I watched the TV last night I could hear Simms saying/yelling "play action pass" and "could we not be more obvious with the play calling...hmmm let's see it's the first down...I think they will pass..." Ugh. I am not going to analyze every play from yesterday. I know, you are all breathing a huge sigh of relief. I just don't have the time or the energy. It is done. We lost. Total bummer. But don't fret, next game, I will still be cheering them on. They are my team - the New York Giants - and I will continue to be a fan...through the good, the bad, and even the ugly (I just want to see more of the first and less of the rest!).

Now, for all of you non football fans, here is what my dear Barber had to say about his mommy today. I woke him up after I got ready (got out of bed, washed face, brushed teeth, put a minimal amount of makeup on, brushed hair, and pulled the top of it (my hair) up in a barrette).

He looks at me with a puzzled, scrunched up face and says, "Mommy...hair?"

He repeats himself two more times and then I realize he is noticing that it looks different.

So I say, "Yes, honey, Mommy did her hair different today".

Barber states strongly, "No like hair Mommy. No."

That's nice. Thank you very much. Good morning to you too. Those were my thoughts. My grown-up response was "That's ok. You don't have to."

I assume this is the end of the conversation. We go on with our day - bring Jeter to the bus stop, walk home, have breakfast, play with trains and trucks, and then he stops and looks at me and says "Mommy, don't like hair. No. No like it."

This time I said nothing.

I guess he really is opposed to my "new" look today.

Penn State vs. Temple

As I have posted before I am a football fan. Typically I watch the NFL. One of the adjustments that Simms and I had to make with our move to PA is the coverage of football in the sports section of the newspaper. There is much more written about high school and college football than professional football. This is NOT the case in NY or NJ...rarely is there anything written about college or high school football in the local paper and there are certainly never any sections fully devoted to either one! Here in PA, they even devote a 1/2 hour every Friday in the fall to high school football on the local network news!!!

Although we have lived here now for almost 12 years, I have never been to a Penn State game. Gasp! Yes, it is true. As a result, I couldn't really understand all the hoopla. That is until today. We received free tickets to the Penn State vs. Temple game. We left the house by noon and arrived to State College around 2pm. We brought lunch so that we could "tailgate". Now, considering I am an alum of a college with less than 3000 students I also had not experienced this before. I know...truly deprived. The free tickets also came with a reserved parking spot. Even though we were 1-1/2 hours early for the game you would have thought we were 3 hours late! These people are serious fans. There were canopy's set up and barbeques going, picnic tables arranged, some people even had RV's!!! I felt like a tourist taking in the whole experience.

We decided to find our seats when it started to drizzle. The forecast said it wasn't supposed to rain until 4pm. Ugh. Then we found out that our free tickets were in the club section under a canopy!!! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Lil' sis and I remembered that one of our former students was on the team. For any of you reading this who are actually football fans...his dad is also a PSU grad and former NFL player for the NY Jets. We watched M Jr. practice and warm up. We saw all of the coaches shake his hand (they shook all of the players hands while they were stretching). Then we saw him on the sidelines during the game. He is a soph/fr on the team. We are very proud of him.

The game was great - there were interceptions, long pass completions, a punt return for a touchdown, etc. The music was great. We joined in the "We Are Penn State" cheer and waved our blue and white pom poms. I have to admit that I think I am finally beginning to understand why my friend SS is such a huge Penn State fan...as well as so many others. After today, if I ever start to watch college football, I think I could be a fan of Penn State too.

Just Another Morning

This morning we were out of the house by 9:45am to get to The Turtles game. We all got in the car and then Simms had to run inside to get a jacket. While he was gone, this in what I had the pleasure of witnessing...

Jeter: Barber, want to hold my hand?

Barber: Yes.

Jeter: Mommy, I think I am going to pray for our day

And he did! It was so precious. He prayed for our health and for his soccer game - that they would play well...more specifically that they would win again so that they could have an undefeated season. LOL.

I know that this must have touched the Father's heart b/c it certainly touched mine. What made him decide to do this? He's never done this before. Then I remembered how we do start every weekday morning with prayer on our walk to the bus stop. Typically I am the only one who prays and sometimes I have wondered if he was paying attention. Truly amazing how much our children learn by our example.

By the way The Turtles had a tremendous game and Jeter smiled all day long.

5 Miscellaneous Tidbits

• Giants won! Am I dreaming? Is it possible that they are really first in their division?!?
• For an excellent message regarding generational responsibility and passing on the type of heritage that God intended us to, check out the audio recording of Pastor Jim Ruddy on 10/28 or 10/29 at Christ Community Church.
• "My Turn" is Barber's way of telling us that he wants to do something himself. Simms and I need to remember to be patient as this is the time in his life when he is learning a new level of independence and it is our job to help him complete this phase successfully. Not easy when we arrive to Grammie and Poppy's house and he wants to ring the doorbell by himself. We all just want to go in - Jeter is already inside with jacket off. It is too easy to become impatient and label this as "terrible". I refuse to do this. I love the age of two. The new level of independence and communication that is accomplished. But...we need to remember to patient and loving in giving Barber the time he needs to achieve "my turn".
• Jeter received a new Bible cover from his Daddy as an "I love you" present on Friday - it is kind of like a backpack. It was rare to find Jeter without his Bible this weekend. An added bonus was his request for us to read to him multiple times. This led to Jeter sharing with me his view on what our church should be doing in the nursery. According to him, the workers should be reading Bible stories to the kids "even though they are really little and don't talk, they need to hear about God and know about the things in the Bible. Play time and videos are good but they need to read more". Reminder - Jeter is five and when he was four he wanted to sit in the church service with us - he said that he learned more from our pastor. Simms and I allowed it because he was listening, sitting still and learning every Sunday. We consistently sought the Lord regarding when Jeter would return to the children's ministry. He did this fall - and now he prefers to go to his "church kindergarten" class over staying with us. And as a side note - the children's ministry at our church is incredible - they pour themselves into this generation and provide for their needs - physical and spiritual.
• I have a lot of cleaning that I need to get to!!!

Shockey, Toomer, Barber, Eli, Burress, Strahan, Jacobs...

...yes, that's what I am talking about!!! I know that this post is not going to make me very popular but last night, at our corner, we were all smiles at midnight.

For those of you that don't know, last night was Monday Night Football. The Giants were playing Dallas in Texas territory. Some Giant football history here - they DO NOT seem to do well on Monday nights. Don't know why. As a result, we are usually anxiously excited for the evening. On top of this they especially DO NOT do well again Dallas on Monday nights. I don't know exactly how many games they have lost consecutively against them...just that it is A LOT (Simms could fill you in on the exact details but I am sure that this is more than enough info...I am guessing that there aren't too many football enthusiasts out there perusing this blog!).

We made sure that the boys were in bed by 8:30pm and then headed to the basement - this way we could cheer without waking our little Giants Fans (Even Barber at 2 says "Go Giants Go"...gotta start 'em young!). This was a big game - whoever wins becomes first in the division due to the fact that the Eagles lost on Sunday. I will admit we were hopeful and yet hesitant. YES, all of this over a silly but very important game of football!

I will spare you the details (if you want more details, you can get them here) but suffice it to say THE GIANTS WON! My apologies to my cousin who is a Dallas fan. I know you were certainly not happy...but just think...now you can be happy for me. LOL!!!

In week 5 the Giants won even though it was after a bye week (this means that they had a week off - historically the Giants do not do well after this). Now this week we won inspite of it being Monday night - against Dallas! Wow. Can I just tell you there is NO WAY that a game will go by for the rest of the season that I am not in my Shockey Jersey and Simms in his Barber Jersey. I know, I know, it means NOTHING...but it is fun!!!

And a big thanks to our dear friend who made us a football CD. It is awesome and adds fun to game time when we really don't feel like listening to the seemingly obvious droll that exits from the commentators vocal chords. The only disappointment is the Touchdown New York Giants song. It is dated. Sounds like it would be played at a circus to me. Simms says it reminds him of the Three Stooges. No nasty anti-Giants comments please. Maybe a modern artist could update it??? Just a thought.

Anyway, as I said, The Campbell Corner is liking what we are seeing so far and we are looking forward to the rest of the season...hopefully injury free!

In the words of my adorable boys "Go Giants Go!!!"