30 by 30: Month 10

Good grief almighty, I've only got 2 months left before the big day.  And I've got a LOT of list items yet to check off.  Here's my report for the month of August.

1.  Cook 10 new recipes (23/10 completed)

One evening my running buddy Cowboy in Aggieland (she's a fellow OSU alum and lover of all things orange!) came over and we made a Pioneer Woman recipe of Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce.  It was actually surprisingly easy and really, really good!  Highly recommend this one, folks.

Later I tried a couple of Pinterest recipes.  First up was corn fritters.  They were kinda like hoe-cakes ala Ski Trip Jerry, except with corn in them.  They were okay, but not great. 

Then it was time for crock pot chicken and cornmeal dumplins.  LOVED this recipe.  LOVED, LOVED, LOVED.  I can't wait to make it again.  Seriously, super healthy and super good.  You could easily add more or different veggies if you wanted to.  Oh, and I made mine with chicken breast instead of thighs because I'm a rebel like that (or I had them in my freezer...).

Lastly, I whipped up some of this cauliflower sauce that was supposed to taste like alfredo sauce.  It didn't.  I like cauliflower, so it was fine, but it sure as heck wasn't alfredo, kids.


2.  Go camping.

As you read about previously, I went camping at the lake back home for a weekend of fun in the sun and on the water.  I totally failed and didn't get a single picture of our camp site, but Aunt and Uncle Evil Kineval took great care of us and got us all set up!

8.  Send little gifts to my friends once a month (10/12 completed).

This month instead of one big gift, I did a few little ones.  I made two little gift packets that included trail mix and cheese its tied up with a bow.

The first went to my buddy Mr. FFA when he was in town staying in my guest bedroom (you visit here, you get a gift!) and the second to my friend Cowboys in Aggieland who was headed out to run the Pikes Peak Half Marathon.

I also saw the cutest saint bracelets (thanks to Super Mom's blog) for little kiddos and knew I had to order one for my sweet Goddaughter.  Pink, of course.  Her mama loves that!

29.  Bring home a bouquet of flowers once a month (10/12 complete).

This one took a little twist this month when Mrs. BFF gave me four outdoor plants when they moved away.  I promised to take good care of her plants and said she could have them back when she wanted.  One week later, I thought they were all dead.  It's possible that someone (cough cough, I, cough cough) forgot to water them.  But I've now gotten into a routine where I water them every other night out of my rain collection bucket.  It's a little bit therapeutic!

Meet The Cast Monday #49: Coach A

Today you all will be meeting my good friend, Coach A.  You might know her better as GBaby's mama.  That's right, she is the one who inspired one of my most popular blog posts about thoughts on childbirth from an outsider.  I think that I'd describe Coach A as a free spirit with a huge heart and an open mind who is full of forgiveness (to a fault sometimes, in my stubborn opinion) and happy with life.  She's good for this Type A personality, because she's always reminding me to just go for things and not worry so much about the rules or the odds or the practical things.  I need that.

With that--take it away, Coach A!

Be honest, how bad was being in labor for 36 hours, because I'm still traumatized?  

You’ve heard people talk about how beautiful childbirth is and how they just love the experience. That’s crap.  {I knew it!!}  I think I have a pretty high pain tolerance (shattered my hand bare handing a line drive and played the rest of the weekend with it being colors I’d never seen prior to deciding an x-ray might be a good idea, no shots for root canal or other dental work, rolled an ankle literally in half and taped it with duct tape so it would fit in a shoe to play two days later, a few gross knee surgeries, etc.) but that was just stupid pain. On a positive note, I’m told it wasn’t normal which means you shouldn’t take that one experience as how it would go for you.  {See, I don't believe that.  I feel as though that is what people who have had babies must tell those of us who have not had them yet in order to repopulate the earth.  I think that it may be a wicked, nasty lie.}

What was the funniest moment of that experience?

I’m more than aware that the rest of y’all were having a pretty good time throughout that whole ordeal {What, you mean we weren't subtle about our fun??}, but there wasn’t a single thing that was funny in my mind at the time. Looking back now I can laugh, but just a little. The funniest was probably when we first got to the hospital and I put on a gown and Larissa freaked out saying, “That’s it, I’m never having kids!” before anything had happened at all.  {Ha...yea, that was about 6 minutes into it.  I thought it was funny too.  36 hours later when I left the hospital swearing no boy would ever even so much as touch me again, I understood.}

Tell us about your yearly Spring Training trip.

My favorite thing to do in this world! Spring Training is my home for spring break every year. It started many years back when I was dating a girl from Phx. I absolutely fell in love that first trip and it would take something crazy for me to miss a year now. Each year is different. I’ve gone with friends, with people I’ve dated, I’ve taken my nephews, and I’ve gone alone. The whole environment draws me in. The sun, the grass, the beer, the people…I could go on and on. There’s just nothing better than spending day after day relaxing and catching a day game followed by a night game. I think what I love most about it is how raw it is. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to regular season and post-season games, but Spring Training leaves out the money and glamour and huge crowds. It’s just about the game. 

What's something you constantly pray for?

The safety of my kiddos from school is a big one. I work in a very low socioeconomic neighborhood with some pretty significant gang problems. It’s unquestionably nothing like the environment in which we grew up. The kids are good hearted, strong, independent individuals who aren’t unlike kids anywhere else. They put up a pretty solid guard but once they know you truly care about them, they let you into their world. When the end of the school day comes, you can see the change on some of their faces. It’s tough to think about what many of them are walking into when they leave campus. I pray about their safety often and wait for their smiling faces to come back each morning.   {That big heart I mentioned?  There it is.}

Explain your love for all things Boston.

With one exception, I love everything about Boston. It started with the Red Sox and just grew over time. As a kid I don’t remember knowing much about the east coast. My family moved around quite a bit but it was all on the western side of the country. I guess it was in college that I really became interested in the area. When I finally visited, I was in heaven. I love the history, the architecture, the layout of the city, the river, the people, the parks, the universities, and obviously the sports. I’ve been to more cities than I can think of and there is no other place that loves its sports teams like Boston does. It almost reminds me of back home when there was a high school game and everything else in town just stopped. It feels that same way but obviously on a much larger scale. One of my favorite things to do in Boston is to ride the Green Line after a Sox win. You’ve never met any of the people before and you’ll never see them again but for that ten or twenty minutes, you’re physically as close as people can be, you smell like pure alcohol, you can hardly hear because of all the laughter, and you feel like you’re with your best friends. It’s love, pure love. Oh, and the one exception is simply that it’s so far from my family. If it was half the distance that it is, there is no way I would live anywhere else.  {I've officially added Boston to my bucket list thanks to that answer.}

What's one motto you try to live by?

I have a tattoo on my back that has a quote from the book The Art of Racing in the Rain. It says, “That which we manifest is before us.” To me that’s what life is all about. Attitude. Each day is going to be whatever you make it. Of course things happen in life that are hard. The way you approach those things is what determines the amount of joy in your life. 

Your family is Italian--favorite Italian dish?

I’m a really boring eater. I’ll stick with spaghetti and meatballs any day.  {Seriously?  That's what I get here?}

What's your favorite memory with me?

I’m going to have to go with the drive to the hospital. I’m 100% positive that you thought I was going to have a child in your car and that wasn’t going to fit into your idea of a good time. {Yea, okay, this is actually pretty good.  3 in the morning, my phone rings.  Coach A's mom tells me that I have to go and take her to the hospital because she is in labor.  She says to me, "Tiffany, she is not going to want to go.  You get her there."  Listen, I know better than to cross Coach A's mom.  I was determined to do what I was told.  I ran every red light between our houses.  I ran into the house, ran around like a crazy person inside.  Sped from her house to the hospital.  I was seriously sure that she was going to be like one of those old, good mama cows that just lay down and spit out a calf in no time.  Except it would be a baby, not a calf.  And it would have been in the floor board of my car, not the pasture.  Turns out, Coach A is not an easy calver.  She was more like a heifer bred to a big shouldered bull and there was no chance that baby was coming in my car.  Those of you who are not livestock people should probably just ignore this paragraph.}

Given the way that The Godfather and I behave (particularly together), have you had second thoughts about choosing us as godparents for your child?

Y’all are a complete disaster together  {I wanted to pretend that I was offended, but there's no way to argue that she's wrong}, but I haven’t second guessed myself regarding that choice for even a second. I thought extremely hard about who would be the best fit for Taylor and I know I chose correctly. I have some very deep reasons for the choice but a surface level summary is that the two of you have very different approaches to religion but they mesh well for influencing a young person. The Godfather’s knowledge of religion, its deeper meaning, and its history are things I’m hopeful that he will share. The way you approach religion is far different. I think you treat it as more of a way of life. You’re totally open-minded and allow for all opinions to be at the table. Your willingness to attend mass/service at a multitude of denominations and the way you treat all people proves this. The number one thing I hope T sees in you is how you wear your faith all day, every day, no matter what. He’s the black and white that puts down lines and you’re the bright colors that bring it to life. Perfect combo in my mind. {I'm beyond flattered by this answer.}

Please note I was taking my job seriously.  Godfather was laughing.

What is one (or more) item(s) on your bucket list?

I know this will make you crazy but I don’t have a bucket list. {For crying out loud, you have spent a week randomly driving a jeep up the West Coast while camping in a tent and stopping to see sea lions along the way.  How do YOU of all people not have a list?}  I’m extremely realistic, maybe to a fault, so when I think of something that I’d like to do, if it’s reasonable, I just do it. If it’s not reasonable, I set it free. The only thing that I can think of that might meet the conditions of being part of a bucket list is that after I retire I want to spend a full year following the Sox around the country for a full season. That’s all I have, Friend.

Thankful Thursday

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.”  ~Henry Ironside

My dear sweet friend College Roomie did this little link up last week, so I'm excited to join in this week!

* Speaking of College Roomie, I'm thankful that she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding!  And even more thankful that she's letting me pick out any black dress that I want.  Love those kind of brides.  Love, love, love.  Feel free to send along any dress ideas you come across.

Me and CR at Bay to Breakers 2010

*  I'm thankful for the opportunity to volunteer with Make-a-Wish.  This weekend we will be granting the most amazing wish for the sweetest boy and his family.  I cannot put into words what it is like to be involved with something like that.

*  I'm thankful that I get to see BFF and Mrs. BFF this weekend.  These two are just my favorites.

*  I'm thankful for the "stress relief" aroma therapy bubble bath from Bath and Body Works.  Is it over priced?  Sure.  Does it relieve stress?  Probably not.  But dang it, it makes me smell good.  Good enough for this girl.

*  I'm thankful for LOKG who I will be running a half marathon with in exactly 93 days.  93 days!!  She's totally kept me going with my goal of eating healthy and getting back into the running game.  Bring it on, Oklahoma City Half Marathon.  You bring it on.

*  I'm thankful for all the babies in my life that are having birthdays this month.  I may have spent entirely too much money on gifts for the birthday kiddos (and their siblings...you can't leave them out!) and shipping them last weekend.  It's probably a good thing I don't have my own children, because I'd be broke as a joke at this rate.

On that note, check out this video of Little Linebacker (who turns 3 in two weeks!) singing "My God's Not Dead" and playing the drums--tree stumps, whatever--in the back yard.  Is this not the most precious thing you have ever seen in your life?  I just love that kid to death, and his parents are clearly doing something right!

* I'm thankful for ND Friend, who has to be the kindest person I know.  Right now she's praying multiple Novenas at the same time for other people and I'm still unsuccessfully avoiding the amazing homemade Nutella that she gave me for Christmas.  She's a Saint.  And a Betty Crocker.  Good combo.

*  Basically, I'm just thankful for my life and for all of the people in it.  I am blessed beyond belief.

Family Thanksgiving 2012--Redneck Style

"There’s nothing that makes you more insane than family. Or more happy. Or more exasperated. Or more . . . secure.” ~Jim Butcher, Publicity and Advertising

Well you already read about the hard part of Thanksgiving and about the excellent horseback riding adventure.  But there's lots more to the weekend recap.  My mom's entire family invaded as they do every year for lots of food, family and fun.

This year's family Thanksgiving theme.

We put Cousin Swiss Mister in charge of feeding the neighbor's horses and mucking out the stalls.  Clearly he took his job seriously.

On Friday morning, we preg checked the cows.  Cousin Swiss Mister was NOT prepared for this activity.  Here was his face when he got a glimpse of the first cow.

We couldn't get him to try one.  He said it gave him the creeps.  City boy.

And then all of the other crazy people arrived it it was time for the annual family shoot out.  Check out these pictures.  If this ain't redneck, I don't know what is.

Everyone shoots.  Men, women, children, teenagers, foreigners from Switzerland who come to visit.  And we shoot it all.  Shotguns, rifles, pistols, revolvers.  You name it.

 

We even drag first-timers into the fun.  Aunt Black Belt's sister came to family Thanksgiving for the first time.  When the shooting began, she repeatedly said, "I've never seen so many guns in my life!"  But then someone gave her a beer and a little later, there she was, crazy like all the rest of us!

 

The award for funniest shooter definately went to Aunt Delta Dawn.  Every time she would shoot she'd get a really mean, angry look on her face, fire the gun, and then drop her hands down by her knees.  It was bizarre.  She also had two excellent quotes.  When trying to look through the scope on a rifle, she says, "You know, I was never good with micrscopes either, that's probably what it is."  And when her grandson told her not to worry, that her last shot was close, she replied, "What?  Really?  How can you tell?"

After a day of riding and shooting, it was time for some eating.  So we all invaded the restaurant in Logan.  Poor waitresses.

On Saturday, we ate some more.  We really enjoy that.  We talked a lot.  We enjoy that too.  And then we played some baseball, some silly string wars, and watched some football. 

Silly string victim.

Speaking of things we enjoy, Cousin Kevin loves it when he has to hold hands during a prayer.  So, after seeing how much fun he had with that during grace before the meal, I made sure to get a picture so he could remember how much fun that was.

 

Cousin Kevin and Cousin Swiss Mister--two of my favorite people.

Poor Cousin Swiss Mister is a bit of a germo-phobe and does not deal well with double dippin.  So his sweet sister, knowing that my family would make him miserable, sent him his very own no-double dippin bowl.

After most everyone headed home, Coach A bought Gbaby over for a little visit.  How the that tiny little baby has turned into the almost-walking kid she is now is beyond me.  She's the cutest thing ever.  And she loves cake, just like her Godmother.  A kid after my own heart.  This was good practice for Cousin Swiss Mister and me...we're discussing getting ourselves a timeshare baby.  You know, since neihter one of us are getting any younger and all.

So, there ya have it.  Our big, fat redneck Thanksgiving.  I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.  They say that you can't choose your family, but I don't need to.  I was blessed to be put exactly where I would have chosen to be. 



WILW

"There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch." ~Robert Brault

I haven't done a list of things i'm loving lately, so I've been saving up!  I've got lots of loves today and even more saved up for next week.  Here we go with the WILW list!

1.  Let's start with my three favorite Halloween photos/videos.  I'm not a huge Halloween person, but luckily some other people in my life are.  Here ya have 'em....my Top 5 Halloween moments for 2012.

Cutest Costume:  Soul Mate Friend and Baby Little Tight End's costume.

Craziest Activity:  My friend who is dressed like a pirate participating in an underwater pumpkin carving contest.

Most Unbelievable Transformation:  Pharmer Girl.  Check out this video--Pharmer Girl is this total country girl that grew up in small town New Mexico like me and who went all chola for Halloween.  Hilarious.




Best Kid's Costume:  My friend's little boy wanted to be a washing machine!

Most random costume:  Ashley as a loofa.  I LOVE it!

2.  My adorable Goddaughter.  Seriously, look at these pictures from the last week.  Could GBaby be any cuter?  Can't believe it's been 9 months since the traumatic experience that was her being born.

Gbaby eating the cookies I sent her in the mail.

Gbaby all bundled up for winter.

Gbaby sporting the shirt I got her at Notre Dame on game day!

3.  These photos.  Grooms' faces as they see their brides for the first time.  Holy cow.  If that doesn't make you want to get married, nothing will.  Adorable.

4.  This idea for asking your friends to be your bridesmaids.  Awesome.

5.  This story that BFF sent me about scholarships being given to walk ons.  You've got to see the video of what the coach pulled at UMass involving the cops and totally freaking out some kids.  Hilarious and awesome.

A Baptism and a Castle

"If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another."  ~Tenzen Gyatso

Last summer, I got a potted flower plant at Lowes.  I killed it in less than a week.  That's not true.  I killed three potted plants from Lowes at three different times during the summer.  I don't have a dog.  Or a cat.  Not even a fish.  I think that this makes it clear that I am unable to bear responsibility for another living thing.  Most days, it's all I can do to get myself out of the house with my glasses on, teeth brushed, hair looking halfway presentable with matching shoes on the correct feet.

Given this, when Coach A asked me to be her baby's God Mother, I thought she had lost her mind.  "She hasn't seen the flowers," I thought to myself.  Fortunately, she offered me the title before she came to her senses, and just like that, I became responsible for part of this precious baby's life.  (You might remember my blog about the trauma of her birth...)

On Sunday, GBaby was baptized in a tiny church in Colorado.  The same building, and the same priest, who baptized her mom 30 years before.  The day was beautiful.  Her family all lined up in the front pews.  GBaby looking precious in her gown.  And the God Parents doing their duties---I managed to stand in front of the congregation whilst not dropping the squirmy baby in a slippery dress and GodFather did not catch her on fire with the candle (please note my concerned look towards him with that candle in the bottom right photo below!).  We pulled it off like champs.

Fittingly, the homily given at the baptism Mass talked about gifts.  Specifically, how you can think that you're giving a gift to one person, when in reality that person is giving a gift to you.  I can assure you that whatever gift I am able to provide to GBaby as her God Mother will be, and has already been, returned exponentially to me.  Being part of this baby's life, being included in the important events for this family, being entrusted with such an amazing responsbility....those are gifts that I will never be able to repay.

Anyway, after the baptism, we headed to see "the castle" that I've heard Coach A and her brothers talk about for years.  I learned that it was built by some crazy man (who I was forbidden to talk to by The God Father before we arrived) by hand over the last 20 years.  Y'all.  This place was nuts.  If you're ever near Colorado City, Colorado, you have to go see Bishop's Castle.  So we walked around and climbed up to the top of the castle.  Now, let me make clear.  I am not scared of heights.  I am, however, scared of shoddy welding.  I'm a mechanic's daughter, after all.  When I stepped on a broken step and then crawled up onto the little ball at the top of the castle that was seriously freaking moving with the wind, I had just about enough.  We snapped a quick photo specifically for this very blog, and I hightailed it back down to the ground!

It couldn't have been a better weekend with GBaby and her family.  Clearly flowers aren't my thing. Maybe Godchildren are.

Miscelleny Monday #2

"Somebody ought to tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit every minute of every day. Do it, I say, whatever you want to do, do it now.” — Michael Landon

Okay folks, this last week has been such a whirlwind that I can't even put anything coherent together on the blog.  I'm headed out tonight for a week in paradise...Costa Rica!  Don't worry, I've got some great guest blogs lined up for you while I'm gone.  But today, I'm linking up with Miscelleny Monday and Cup Half Full to share lots of random stuff!

1. I spent the weekend in Colorado for GBaby's baptism.  It was so much fun and the baptism was beautiful.  I'll have a full blog on this once I get back, but for now, here's a snapshot from the big event.

2. I found my future wedding venue.  Here she is.  Napa Valley, California.  Good things happen to me there, you know.  Now, in addition to finding a groom (minor detail...), I need to either (a) win the lottery; or (b) convince everyone that it is cool to sit on the floor and pack a sack lunch and dance to music off of someone's iPhone at a wedding since I will not be able to afford anything beyond the building.

3.  I absolutely love ND Friend's Kentucky Derby blog.  Read it here.  My favorite paragraph is the following:

"Not to be too cheesy, but it’s true: much of life often looks a bit like the Kentucky Derby walk-back-to-the-stables. We get a hunch, sentimental details and signs fall into place, we become ever more convinced of what God’s will is, and then we are stuck wearing a stupid hat in the Churchill Downs parking lot, looking up at heaven saying, “Where were you on that one?” The perfect marriage-in-the-making ends in unrequited love, the customized nameplate on the desk somehow has someone else’s John Hancock on it, the acceptance letter got delivered to the wrong house, even the five kids named after obscure saints to be raised as future priests and nuns never arrive. How could this not be your will, God?"

Isn't that the truth?  I feel like the girl in a dumb hat a lot of the time when I'm so sure I have things figured out and then...oops....totally wrong.  Glad I'm not the only one.

4.  Speaking of horse racing, I'll Have Another won the Preakness by a head.  Can he win the Belmont in a couple of weeks and be the first Triple Crown winner in decades??

5.  This is an absolutely amazing blog by Nicole.  Ask yourself her questions?  "What if I could go through life with my eyes set straight ahead, confident in who Jesus has made me to be?! What if I could make choices in life not based on what I am afraid others may think, but rather understanding that life is too short to waste NOT doing what I was created for?!"

Shoot dang.....I don't know about y'all, but I think I'll marinade on that baby for a while.

6.  Check out this song called "For a Dancer."  I love it.  Favorite line:  "Just do the steps that you've been shown, by everyone you've ever known until the dance becomes your very own."
 

7.  I had been doing really well on my swim suit diet for the last week.  Until I totally went off the rails this weekend....Italian food, Seven and Seven, breakfast burrito, ice cream, calzone....I'll be strictly enforcing the NO SWIM SUIT PHOTOS rule in Costa Rica!

Every Mile A Memory (Part 1)

"Every mile a memory, every song, another scene, from some old movie going back in time, you and me." ~Dierks Bentley

Oh y'all....last weekend was something else!!  Every time I thought to myself, "Oh this has to be the craziest part of the weekend" it just got crazier.  I can't fit all of this chaos into one post.  So here is part one.  Stay tuned tomorrow for part two (which will involve the Spring football game, a quarterback photo, old age striking and an emergency landing).

The Race

As you all know, I went to Stillwater in order to participate in the Remember The Ten 10K race, which is held eacy year in memory of the 10 members of the OSU family who were killed in a plane crash back in 2001.  I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this race.

The race began with 14 seconds of silence---ten for each one of the victims of the 2001 crash and 4 for each of the victims of the 2011 crash.  Because I was determined to focus on the purpose of the race, I wrote each person's name on a little sticky note that I carried with me throughout the race.  Each kilometer, I prayed for the family of one of the ten, and one of the four, plus the coaches and other players who were at OSU during the crashes.  It was a great way to keep my mind on the real purpose behind the race.  Remembering the Ten means remembering the 10 men, along with those that they left behind, and I felt like this exercise allowed me to do that.

Running this race course was like running back through memories of three of the best years of my life.  I ran by my old dorm room, by the football stadium, by the Animal Science building where I'd meet the boys for lunch and help them do their homework, by the flag football field where College Roomie and I cheered the guys on before they got kicked out of flag football.  We ran down Western Street, which made me remember the Dry Cleaner Girl that all the guys were in love with, and the Animal House that was seated just off this road.  We ran by the Tri Delt house which made me think of the Oklahoma Girls and  Pink Boots, and by elementary schools that made me think about working with relay for life.  By the Strip that holds more memories than I could even start to list, and by the library that brought back all the mock trial practices we had in there.  We finished the run by running right behind the library and the stadium to the finish line.  While we did so, we passed several groups of prospective students there for open houses.  So because I had been praying all day, I said a quick prayer for these kids--that OSU would be as good to them as it was for me.

And finally, the race details.  It had to be a success given my two biggest fans....Little Linebacker who gave me a good luck hug before I headed out to the run and my God Daugher, GBaby, who was all decked out in OSU gear back in New Mexico.  Seriously--could these children be any cuter?

As I always do, I set three goals.  First, to run the entire race.  Second, to run it in less than 70 minutes.  Third, to run it in 10:00 mile average (62 minutes).  I knew the third goal was pretty far out there, but was hopeful for the other two.  Turns out, I did hit two of the three!  I ran the entire race without stopping in 66:67.  I was quite a bit over my desired 10 minute/mile pace, but hey, there's always next year! 

Meeting a Legend

If you would have told me that I would come home from Stillwater with a picture from the race AND a picture with our future quarterback and neither of those would be my new facebook profile, I would have called you a liar.  That was because never in my wildest dreams did I think I would meet Coach Sutton!

For you non-sports fans, Coach Sutton is a legend--the court inside OSU's Gallagher Iba Arena is named in his honor.  He took us to the final four.  He's one of only 8 coaches to win over 800 games.  He's in the Hall of Fame.  He was also the coach when the plane crash occurred.  And in true OSU style, he is in Stillwater for the memorial race every year.

I actually saw him before the race started, but there were a lot of people around and I had to get over to the starting area, so I just went on.  For the next hour while I was running, I was kicking myself for not taking a picture of Coach Sutton.  When the race was over and I was waiting on my friends to finish, I went to get a water and there he stood.....Coach Sutton.  He was talking to a family member of one of the Ten, so I just waited.  When he finished, I walked right up, shook his hand and introduced myself.  I told him that he was the coach when I was in school and how much I loved watching his teams.  He said, "We sure had some good times, didn't we?"  We talked about the Final Four, about where I lived and what I was doing.  Then he saw the camera in my hand and asked if I wanted a picture.  DUH!  And so here we have it.

I've already checked "Picture with a famous person" off my bucket list twice (Alex Weeden and Easton Corbin) but I will just tell you neither of those held a candle to this one.  I was so excited, I almost cried!  Me and Coach Sutton, in a picture together.  Between the trash pile and the bike rack, with me covered in sweat.  It was perfect.  That, alone, was worth the whole trip and running for an hour.