Olympic Thoughts

"An Olympic medal is the greatest achievement and honor that can be received by an athlete." ~Jeff Fenech

I'm pretty much going to be completely unproductive for the next two weeks.  Put the Olympics on and it's impossible for me to turn them off and do anything else.  Including writing a blog.  So...I figured I'd combine blogging and Olympic watching.  Here are my thoughts on last night.

1.  I wanted to kill Cousin Swiss Mister yesterday.  I avoided any news yesterday because I did not want to hear any results from the Olympics until I got to watch them.  Well then Cousin Swiss Mister emails me an article, so I clicked on the link.  And guess what?  The sidebar of the article showed all the major results (except Missy Franklin, which was the only surprise of the night for me!) right there in front of my face.  Was it worth it to read the article?  Well....it was all about how the Dutch women's field hockey team is the most attractive team at the games.  Really?  THAT was important enough to send to me and ruin my Olympic watching last night? 

2.  Poor Ryan Lochte is just not good in the last 25 meters.  I'm afraid it's in his head now.  Come on, honey, get your pretty little head back on straight!

3.  Missy Franklin is freaking awesome.  I mean she qualifies for the finals in the 200 free, has 10 minutes to rest, and sets the American record, beating the favorite, and winning gold.  She's 17 years old.  Unbelievable.  And then she got all emotional talking about her parents.  She's just adorable.

4.  I feel like there should be a rule when someone loses an Olympic event they do not have to get a microphone stuck right in their face.  They did it to Jordyn Weiber on Sunday night and Ryan Lochte last night.  Give them a break.  Oh, and that goes for you, Andrea Kramer, asking stupid questions to Michael Phelps after he wins his semi-final.  She says, "So tomorrow is hte final, which Michael shows up, the one who swam a great split in the relay or the one who didn't medal in the 400 IM?"  He just said, "My swimming does the talking."  Back here in America, I was yelling cuss words at the tv and getting ready to draft a letter to NBC about this woman.

5.  I was so darn excited for Matt Grevers.  I pretty much fell in love with him when I saw his marriage proposal to his swimmer girlfriend earlier this year.  But a gold medal and Olympic record?  Just solidified it in my book.

Weekend Re-Cap

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”   ~Oscar Wilde

Well it was another weekend of going, going, going.  Here's a re-cap for ya!

Friday

I stop at a gas station on my drive home and go inside to get some M&Ms for the road.  The lady in front of me was going to move her moving van from the pump over out of the way.  She turns to the gas station attendant and says, "Where should I park?  I'm not good at stuff like, you know, turning and stuff."  Um...yea.  Turning and stuff?  Seems important.  I got the heck out of Dodge and away from that lady before she left.

I have never felt so stupid as watching the parade of nations at the Olympics.  I swear to you, I could not have put half of those countries on a map.  That may bite me one of these days on The Amazing Race.  I've got to get serious about things.

I got one of my blogs recognized by Jordan Christie, the author of How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World!  So excited!  Good experience for my dream of writing a book one day. :)  To check it out, click here.

ND Friend sent me this awesome photo.  Don't think I could love it any more.

Saturday

On Saturday it was time for the Second Anual Father Daughter Ski Trip.  Well, first my dad and I went to check on some lambs that we sold to some 4-H kids, and then we hit the water.  Priorities.  We had lots of fun in the sun.

And then, that night I was walking through the house and managed to totally bite it.  I scraped up and bruised my big toe, banged up my shin, and sprained my wrist.  I ski all day and never have a bad fall, but walking through the house I manage to totally wipe out.  Great work, Tiffany.

Sunday

We took several pictures of our calves Sunday morning.  Check 'em out.

I spent Sunday spending entirely too much time watching the Olympics.  I mean seriously, I sit down and the next thing I know, 4 hours has gone by and I've accomplished nothing.  It feels like college football season or something.  A few thoughts:

1.  I was disappointed that Michael Phelps did not medal in the 400 IM, but excited for Ryan Lochte. 

2.  Thought the American women gymnasts looked amazing. 

3.  Thought the Brendan Hansen's interview after winning bronze was adorable. 

4.  I am so disappointed that we got beat in the 4x100 relay.  Silver is still good and all, but shoot.  I will say that my boy Michael Phelps did his job.  Probably should have let him anchor.  Just saying.

5.  Oh, and that woman (I forget her name) from the US that hit 99/100 targets and won her third gold medal in shooting?  Awesome.  Don't mess with that chick. 

Excited to watch some more tonight....go USA!

Happy Friday!

It's been a bit of a crazy week....which means that haven't had much time to blog.  So today I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you for your Friday.  Linking up with Just Because Friday.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!  I'm planning on spending mine doing a little skiing at the lake!  Be back on Monday!

Throwback Thursday # 59: The House That Built Me

"Won't take nothing but a memory, from the house that built me..." ~Miranda Lambert, The House That Built Me

Last weekend while I was at Relay for Life, I spent the night in my childhood home.  A double-wide trailer that I lived in my entire life until I left for college.  I hadn't been back in this house for years.  It seemed smaller, somehow.  Maybe because it's packed full of memories.

There is a piece of paneling, on the wall next to he kitchen table. On it, are small hash marks and numbers in my Dad's handwriting. Each mark showing how much my brother and I had grown in the year before.

The hash marks might show you how much taller we got, but if you want to see how we grew, you don't need to look at the paneling. You just need to look at that old house and the memories that it holds.

The rock fireplace where we would practice FFA speeches, pull down our stockings on Christmas morning, blow dry frozen calves in front of the fire, and take family photos every Thanksgiving.

 The kitchen sink where my mom used to wash my hair, and where we ran water over my finger that I almost cut off before we  headed to the hospital for stitches.   The wall where all of our showing banners were hung with excitement each fall.  The picture windows that I was sure my parents would spy out of when I was being dropped off from a date, and out of which my brother used to shoot skunks in the front yard, and Gran used to peak her head in to see if we were awake before coming to the front door in the mornings. 

The living room floor where I had tea parties with my mom and my grandmas, read books with my dad, and watched Alf on tv. 

The bedroom where I got ready for kindergarten graduation and the proms and played camping with Cradle friend and talked about crushes with Teacher Friend. 

The ledge on the front porch where the swallows would build their nest every year and where the old kindling stand sat that my Gran would hide Cadberry eggs every Easter.  The nail holes in my bedroom wall where I had posters of the original Dream Team and George Strait.  The closet that held my mom's "Taos skirt" that my brother decided to take scissors to when he was 4 years old (and for which he proceeded to get a major spanking).

The kitchen table where we ate dinner every night as a family, where we did homework and 4-H record books and science fair projects, and blew out countless birthday candles.  

The spot next to the front door where dirty "barn shoes" were to be removed before manure was tracked through the house.  The phone on the wall where I got my first call from a boy and the corner where over 20 years of Christmas trees stood. 

It may be a trailer house.  And it may be small.  But the memories it holds are something you cannot measure.  It really was the house that built me.

WILW # 27

"Some of the most beautiful diamonds are the last to be discovered. Never fear. Your time will come."  ~Anon.

Time for another edition of What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Today I'm Loving...

1.  Y'all remember my friend Yoga Master?  Well, (along with just about everyone else I know), she got married this summer.  And her wedding was so darn fantastic, that it was featured on a blog.  Check it out here.

2.  While I was at Relay for Life last weekend, we had a little suprise birthday party for Aunt Delta Dawn.  While the girls went to pick up the cake, Cousin Kevin had to stall Aunt Delta Dawn.  This turned into an ordeal when the cake came out and said, "Happy Birthday, Stacy" (my cousin's name who ordered it) instead of "Happy Birthday, Aunt Delta Dawn."  No problem, they took it back, lumped some icing on, and wrote her name.  This picture does not do it justice.  It was hilarious.

So while we were dealing with the cake situation, Cousin Kevin had some major stalling to do.  Apparently he was full of lies.  He took her on a tour of the golf course, kept saying, "Let's go down that street, I've never seen this part of Raton before", insisted they check out some random church parking lot, got gas even though she had 3/4 of a tank, went into the gas station and hid in the bathroom for a while...I'm concerned how smooth he is with this.  Anyway...it all worked out and we had a great suprise for her!

I was in charge of fun decorations for her to wear. :)

3.  This little saying, which is oh-so-true!

4.  I'm lake-bound this weekend with my dad, uncle and Cousin Whitney.  The summer is almost over and it's our first trip.  We've got lost time to make up for.  Let the water skiing commence!

Father/Daughter Ski Weekend 2011

5.  The fact that my prom date from 11 years ago distinctly remembers my mother warning him multiple times about how dangerous the railroad tracks were that we would cross on our way to and from the prom.  Really, Mom?  Two things:  (1) That was your biggest concern on prom night (I think we can all see what a good kid I was!) and (2) it was concerning enough to mention multiple times? 

6.  This article about what maters most when raising your kids.  I obviously don't have to worry about the kid thing yet, but what she says about wanting only two things for her kids:  (1) that they are kind and giving and (2) that they love Jesus with their whole hearts....well I think it applies pretty darn well to what I want for myself.

7.  We are t-minus 3 days until the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics.  Go America (and especially Michael Phelps!)

8.  This photo from Relay for Life.  That's me on the right.  Uncle Black Belt is on the left.  Think this pose might be genetic?

9.  I'm loving the phone call I got from Blonde OK Girl on Sunday.  She reported that she was out at Hard Rock and this guy kept looking at her and came over to say hello.  She said hi back and went on with her business.  Only later did her friend's husband point out that said guy was....wait for it....Adrian Peterson.  That's right, my friend got hit on by AP and blew him off.  I told her we are going to make flashcards of any famous football players she might meet in Oklahoma.  For crying out loud....I have failed as a football fan a best friend.

10.  And last, but not least, my boy Brandon Weeden has officially signed with the Browns.  Coach A says that I am not permitted to be a Browns fan just becuase of Weeden, but I am allowed to be a Weeden fan and cheer for any team that he's on.  So....I'm a Weeden fan, which makes me a Browns fan today!

Relay for Life

"Celebrate.  Remember.  Fight Back." ~Relay for Life Theme

This weekend, I headed north to participate in a Relay for Life.  I had served on the RFL committee a couple of times in college, but this was my first time to participate since then.  There was a team who was walking in memory of my Uncle David, who we lost over Christmas, so I knew I had to join in.

If you've never been, you should go.  It's amazing to see so many people come out to support a great cause.  (Including the Colfax County Democrats, who drew glares from Cousin Kevin every time we passed their tent on our laps!)


The family representatives



No doubt we were solving the world's problems.



Survivor Lap

What struck me the most was the sheer number of people that have been affected by cancer.  We were at a high school track,and the track was lined--both inside and outside lanes--with luminarias.  Each representing a person who was currently fighting cancer, or who had lost their battle.  Every one of those bags represented a person, and their story.  And for each of those persons, there are so many more--husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, children and friends--whose lives were changed by that person's disease.

Uncle David

Sadly, my family has had more than our share of those stories.  Uncle Buddy is our survivor.  But  many have not been so fortunate.  Uncle David.  My grandma, Nannie.  Her three brothers:  Uncle Henry, Uncle David and Uncle George (who apparently died several years ago when I was in college and no one bothered to tell me....I found out this weekend).  Seeing their photos hung on the wall of the tent, and their names written on luminarias lit up around a track, and hearing their names read on a list a mile long of those who had been lost only drove that point home.

Uncle David



Luminaria for Nannie



Nannie and my great uncles

I pray that one day, there will be no more Relay for Life.  That there will be new new luminaria bags to line a track.  Until then, I am honored to have been a part of this event, in memory of my Uncle David, and all the rest of the people in my life who have (and still are) fighting against cancer.

Friday Letters

"This day is a journey, this very moment, an adventure."  ~Rebecca Pavlenko

Woo hoo, ladies and gents!  It's Friday!  Thought we'd celebrate with a Friday Letters Post.

Dear The Single Woman:  When I saw that you quoted me and gave me a shout out in your column yesterday, it made my day.  Seriously....you're my favorite blogger.  And YOU quotes ME (after I have quoted you about a million times!)  So dang excited.

Dear Olympics:  I am going to need you to show up.  Like ASAP.  Why?  Because ever since the trials ended, I've hated running on the treadmill without being able to watch me some Michael Phelps.  My rear keeps right on growing in the mean time while I await his return.  Let's get on that!

Dear Mailman:  You're really starting to annoy me.  I've been waiting on two different letters to arrive all week and by now I'm pretty sure that you have lost them.  Not.  Impressed.

Dear Relay for Life:  I haven't done one of these since college, and I'm much older and more appreciative of my sleep now.  Go easy on me tonight.

Dear Uncle David:  We're all headed to Relay to walk in your memory this weekend.  We miss you every day.  (For those of you who might not have been around, we lost my Uncle David to cancer this past Christmas.  If you are interested in donatinge to my Relay for Life page in his memory, click here.)

Dear BFF:  I know that you're some sort of super busy, all-important, almost doctor (the PhD kind, not the CPR giving kind), but we haven't talked in like a month.  I can't take it anymore.  Call me.  Not maybe.  For sure.

Dear Word on Fire:  Father Steve's blog this week about the 16 Carmelite martyrs of Compiegne was amazing.  Heartbreaking and beautiful and just amazing.  How had I never heard of these sisters before?

Dear Cousin Kevin: Hope you're excited about our 3 hour road trip today! That's a lot of bonding time......I should make a list of questions. :)  Oh, and plan on taking a picture with me this weekend.  I had zero options to put on this blog.  Fail.

Dear Big 12 Media:  You picked us to finish 4th in the Big 12.  Fourth.  And you picked K-State (the team that makes me the most nervous) to finish 6th.  What does someone have to do to get your job and a vote on this committee?  Not know jack about college football?  Bring it.  See below.

Dear OSU Football:  I sure as heck hope y'all are as ready for the season as I am.  I'm expecting big things.  I'd really love a few more experiences like these last year:

Me and LOKG after rushing the field at Bedlam!

Me and the boys after winning the Fiesta Bowl in OT

As We Forgive...

"In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you."  ~Mother Teresa

One of my favorite churches is the St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe.  It's absolutely beautiful and peaceful and awesome.  So every time I'm in Santa Fe and can spare a few minutes (and think I can survive dealing with trying to park!), I head over to the Cathedral. 

Photo via

My life is pretty crazy, non-stop, going going going, so I intentionally try and fit in some quiet "God time" whenever I can.  God speaks to us in the quiet. In prayers that we have heard, and prayed, hundreds of times. In pews in Cathedrals that we have seen over and over. Whenever we are quiet and still and open our hearts. And for that, I am grateful.

Yesterday, I was knelt down taking it all in praying the Lord's Prayer.  Something that I've prayed, I don't know, probably a million times in my life.  And I was going along as usual....."Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us, and...."  I stopped and thought, wait a minute...what did I just pray?

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us?  As in, forgive me as well as I forgive them?  Well, I thought (pardon the word choice), "Crap!"

Here I am praying that God will forgive me in the same way that I forgive other people, and if I'm being honest, I'm not so good at forgiving.  In fact, I'm bad at it.  I'm a total grudge holder.  I mean there are people to this day that I still don't care for because they were mean to my friend or said something bad about a family member years ago.  Do I really live my life and offer forgiveness in the manner in which I want God to do the same for me?

Of course, God doesn't treat us the way that we treat others.  He offers us the gift of forgiveness, which (thank goodness!) is not contingent on our taking certain actions.  But he calls us to show others the forgiveness that he shows us.  And every time we pray that prayer and then fail to act out our request, we're missing the point.

*Linking up with Beauty for Ashes.

WILW: A Few Photos!

Today I'm going to share a few of the photos that I'm loving lately!  As always, linking up with Jamie!

Bella Spur Photo Contest

First things first, my friend Miss Canada's company, Bella Spur, is having an agriculture photo contest.  I entered two of my favorite photos:

If you have facebook, I would LOVE your votes!  To vote for little cowboy "Feeding Cows" just click here and then click "like" on the bottom left of the picture.  To vote for my dad and brother "Headin' Home" just click here and then click "like" on the bottom left of the picture.


Feedin' Cows

Headin' Home

And props to Miss Canada and Bella Spur for being such great agriculture advocates!

Piano Man

At my family reunion last weekend (blogs about that to come soon!), my 86 year old Great Uncle sat down and played the piano for about an hour.  This man has a gift--so much that when someone in the house reported to the pool that "Great Uncle is playing piano" everyone made a bee-line for the house, where we all sat around and listened to him play.  It was the best part of the day for sure.  I snapped several photos, but I think this one is my favorite.  I'm linking it up with Shoot, Edit, Submit.

Generations

I've apparently got a thing for hands lately.  At LOKG's wedding, we were sitting in the room waiting for things to get started and I glanced over and her grandma had taken her hand.  It was just for a second, but it was so beautiful that I knew I had to capture it on camera.  I feel like this is one of those "a picture is worth a thousand words" kind of shots.  I'm linking it to Black and White Wednesdays and Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Walkin' Along The Fence Line

The next couple of pictures are ones that I took a while back, but somehow managed not to get them off of my camera onto the computer.  I love this shot of our north windmill along the fence line.  Wade Bowen would be proud  (sidenote...I would have bet my right arm that this was a Stoney LaRue song....am I crazy?).  I'm linking this one up with Rural Journal for Sunday Best.

Dog Days of Summer

This is my parents' dog, Dollar, doing what he does best during the summer months.  I'm pretty sure farm dogs think that stock tanks are their own personal swimming pools.  Rough life he leads!  Linking up with Show Off Your Shot!

Time Lapse

I was pretty pumped when I realized I had taken a couple of time lapse photos.  The ones on the left was snapped last fall after my dad had just planted the wheat.  The one on the right was taken this spring as it was just coming up. 

Red and Yellow, Black and White, They Are Precious in His Sight

Yes, I know the song is about the little children, but I thought it worked well for this picture of our AI calves too!  If you are new to my blog and missed my prior AI posts, be sure you catch up and read Bull Semen and Bonding and The Results.

As always, I love hearing comments about which one is your favorite!  Happy Wednesday!

My List

"Its not called being picky, it's called not compromising your standards."  ~ Unknown.

(Disclaimer:  This is mostly in jest.  I'm not serious that I would not date a guy who could not beat me in one-on-one, so don't think I'm crazy.  And also don't think that these are the most important things that I look for in a guy....these are just some of the funny ones!)

Back in the good ol' days at OSU, one time during finals College Roomie and I were looking for something to entertain us.  We had already re-arranged the furniture in our room.  Twice.  And there were only so many times that we could stand looking at the flashcards for our crops final.  So, we made a list of the things I was looking for in a guy.  As I recall (correct me if I'm wrong, College Roomie), it was about 5 pages long.  We taped it to the door and it was as tall as I was.  Any shock I'm still single?

Well I was reminded of that list during a conversation over the weekend when the idea of a list of qualifications came up again.  You know, "I could never date someone who _____."  This got me thinking back to some of the ones on my list, and I figured I should share a few of them.

And so, with that, I give you my top 6 (I couldn't narrow it to 5) list of Mr. Right requirements in random order.

1.  He has to be able to bench press my weight.  Listen, I'm trying to raise Olympic athlete or college football playing children.  I can't be marrying some wuss.  Plus, a girl wants to feel like she's protected.  Fortunately, I've polled pretty much all of my guy friends and they assure me that this item is not going to be a problem.

2.  He has to have a job.  This one came from the Pig Farmer.  He was adament about not marrying a girl without a job in college.  We all usually laughed at his crazy ideas, but this one was actually a good one.  Who knew he was smart like that?

3.  No dogs or other animals sleeping in the bed.  Please don't stop liking me if you have animals living in your house.  A lot of my friends (each of the Oklahoma State Girls, in fact!) do this.  It's just not for me.  Growing up, animals stayed outside.  I spent most of my childhood rolling around in mud and playing king of the manure pile and smelling like some combination of sheep, cattle and horse.  But when you went into the house to go to bed, you took a shower and cleaned all that off.  I just can't deal with it.  But....a cute lab living outside on the wrap around porch?  I'm all about that.

4.  He must know how to ride a horse.  My dad swears this is indication that I'm too picky and that it should be removed from the list.  But, here's the deal.  It's probably less about actually riding the horse and more about understanding my background.  Agriculture is a big deal to me--to how I was raised and how I will want to raise my kids some day.  I have to have a guy who understands that.  Plus, if you've ever seen my family at branding, you can't subject some city slicker to that kind of chaos.

The former State Star Farmer can't marry a city slicker.

5.  He must be able to beat me at one-on-one.  Olympic athletes and college football playing children.  Athletic genes are genetic.
6.  He cannot use stupid abbreviations in text messages.  This one really annoys the crap out of me.  I hate texts that say "c u l8r" or "r u" or whatever other abbreviations there are.  HATE them.  I can put up with the periodic "idk" but that's about it.  Use your words.

Now....for the fun part.  What's on YOUR list??

Becoming My Hero

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." -Elmer Davis

Today is a big day in our family.  My "little" cousin enlisted in the Army to serve our country.  Today, Soldier Cousin leaves for Basic Training. 
It's in his blood.  We've had at least one, often more, person in each generation serve in the military since the Revolutionary War.  Soldier Cousin carries on the tradition for our generation.

So today we're all sort of a big ball or emotions--pride and fear and sadness and anticipation and joy.  I'd ask that you all say a prayer for Soldier Cousin as he embarks on this next chapter in his life, and for all of the men and women in our armed forces.

Dear Soldier Cousin,

It seems like yesterday you were a little bitty kid running around at Family Thanksgiving.  Over the years I've watched you play hair salon and trucks and baseball with little kids, stick up for the underdog, do what's right, overcome obstacles, and have a lot of fun along the way.  You're going places--big ones--and I can't wait to watch you enjoy the ride!

18 years ago, you became my cousin.  In the last couple years, you've become my buddy.  Today, you are becoming my hero.  I could not be more proud of you.  Love you, kiddo!

~Tiffany