The NFR....Long Live Cowboys!

"There's something about the outside of a horse that's good for the inside of a man." ~Winston Churchill

I hope that everyone got to watch at least a round or two....but for those of you who didn't, the last 10 days were the NFR in Las Vegas. For those of you who think I'm speaking Greek, that is the National Finals Rodeo. What does this mean? It means that the best cowboys and cowgirls in the world go to Vegas to see who emerges the world champion in 7 different events.

It's with a lot of frustration I write this blog. Not that I'm frustrated with the NFR....goodness knows those are 10 of my favorite days of the year!! I am frustrated with the lack of pictures from the NFR available online. I wanted to put up pictures of all of my favorite moments, but gave up on that. I found a few and decided to go ahead and write the blog with those, instead of waiting longer!

Here are a few of my favorites from the week:

1. Round 10

Usually, by the last night (which is the 10th Round), pretty much all of the events have been won and it's just a formality. Not this year---it was chaos and all but one event came down to the 10th Round to determine the world champion. And that 10th Round was crazy!!


In the bulldogging, it came down to Luke Branquinho and Lee Graves to win the world. Luke was winning the average. (I should explain....if you win the the average over the 10 rounds at the NFR you win like 50 grand. So a lot of times, that is super important for the world championship). Anyway, Luke goes and throws the calf fast...about 3.6 or so, but the judges said he didn't have a hand on the steer when he went down. That means he gets a no-time. Also means he loses the world championship. Ouch. Instant replay will be at next year's NFR because of this. Mark my words!


Calf roping had similar drama. Cody Ohl, who is just a phenominal roper, comes out and ropes one in like 7.3......which means fast. The rule is the calf has to stay tied for 6 seconds. Cody's calf lasted about 5.5 seconds and got up. That meant he lost the world championship. Trevor Brazile came in, roped his calf and won the world. Chaos.


2. Billy Etbauer Wins His 50th Round.....Then His 51st!


If you are going to watch one guy at a rodeo in your entire life, you'd choose Billy. He's a legend. The Brett Favre of rodeo they call him. He's 46 years old. He's like 5'5. And he's awesome. Over his career, he has won 51 rounds at the NFR. Let me tell you, when he wins, people go crazy. He won Round 10 and got a standing ovation from the crowd. He's well respected, with good reason. This guy is what the sport is all about.


3. Duke.....Enough Said!


I like horses. All horses really......and growing up on a ranch, we have had lots of different horses. I've had friends who rodeo and a brother who ropes. I judged horses for years in high school and at one contest in college. My point is this, I've seen a few horses in my life.....but hands down, the most beautiful horse I have ever seen was at the NFR. Duke is a palamino barrel horse owned by this year's world champion, Brittany Pozzi. I'm telling you, if you want to see a horse, you need to see Duke! I'm ALSO telling you.....there are some GOOD LOOKING cowboys at the NFR...but Duke was probably the best looking guy in the Thomas and Mack!


4. Tuf Cooper Wins The Average

If you don't follow rodeo, you don't really know why this is a top 5 moment. The Coopers are sort of like the Kennedy's of rodeo.....it's a family affair. Roy Cooper, the father, was one of the best all-time cowboys to rodeo. His daughter, Shada, married Trevor Brazile who I mentioned won calf roping and was also named the all around cowboy for the 7th time. Roy has a couple of sons who have roped before...Clint and I forget the other one's name. Well this year, his 19 year old son, Tuf, came to his second NFR. He's little snot nosed kid, but he can throw a rope and he won the calf roping average. Watching Roy in the stands as he watched his son was really cool. Oh, and Tuf had to switch horses...his horse got hurt in Round 7.....no worries, brother in law Trevor came to the rescue and shared. Talk about having connections!


5. Team Roping World Record Broken....Twice In One Night
Now this just had to fry some guys. Team roping is where two guys pair up to rope the calf---the header ropes the calf's head and the heeler ropes both back feet. The arena and world record for team roping was 3.5 seconds. In Round 9, the world record was broken by Jojo LeMond and Randon Adams who caught in 3.4. The Thomas and Mack Center went nuts. They were celebrating, happy cowboys. For about five minutes. Five runs later, their world record was broken by Chad Masters and Jake Corkill, who caught in 3.3. SO much for that victory lap for Jojo and Randon!

Hopefully this will give you a little insight into the sport of rodeo. Next December, hit me up and we'll watch the NFR! I've been saying for years I want to go....and yes....those of you who are wondering, it is on the bucket list! I am hoping maybe 2010 will be my year!

Holiday Spirit?

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Plato

So, I love the Christmas season. I love the family togetherness, the food, the decorations, and, of course, the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I do not love shopping. I know, I know, I'm a girl and based on my mother, that should be genetic. Well, it's not. I like to know what I'm getting, go directly into the store, get it and leave. This is apprently impossible around the holidays.

So, let me give you a snipit of my day today. I have a gift certificate to Famous Footwear that I won on the radio in a call in thing. I was super excited, had never won anything like that before, so in I go. I find some great running shoes in my size (not an easy task mind you) and go to check out. Then the evil spirit hit.

Now, I try to be a nice person. Really, I do. I hardly ever get snippy with waiters or clerks or salespeople or anything like that. Honestly, I figure that people have hard enough lives without me making them worse. Apparently, most people don't follow this approach. Yes, we were standing in line forever. Yes, they only had one register. And yes, I think that the lady working there might have been totally crazy. But is there really a need to be rude and bash on her in front of everyone? No. Is that the Christmas spirit? No.

Anyway, so my gift card wouldn't read because they had some computer problem. So after being there for 45 minutes, I finally leave with no shoes. (Sidenote because I was so nice, she called me when the computer was fixed and gave me $10 more dollars off. See? It pays!)

It was time to go to Wal-Mart. Now, I don't really like that place on a normal today, but today, it was complete chaos. People yelling at each other in the parking lot, screaming kids, etc. Again, no Christmas spirit in sight.

Well, I get in line and there is this great moment. A little kid was there with his dad and saw a donation bin full of toys. He asked what that was. His dad explained that some kids don't get any toys for Christmas those of us who are lucky enough to have toys give to those who are not, like Jesus gave us life in Heaven. Then they went off to pick out a toy to donate. Now there was the Christmas spirit I had been looking for! What a great moment.....

Then some guy in one of the little electric wheelchairs they provide you with was fighting with his wife, not paying attention and went crashing into my legs. Yea. Moment over.

Anyway, when you're out running around this Christmas, try to remember to have the Christmas spirit. You have the power to brighten or ruin someone's day. Use it wisely. And watch where you're going in the little scooters!

Heisman Trophy

"Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football!" ~ John Heisman


Chances are, even if you have no interest in college football, you've heard of the Heisman. Or you've seen the Heisman pose at some point in your life. Here's a little background.


The Heisman is named after a college football coach, John Heisman, who coached in the 1900-1920 range. It honors the most outstanding player in college football and has been awarded every year since 1935. The voters consist of about 870 media representatives, each of the prior Heisman Trophy winners, and one public voter (can we say dream in life?!?).


What schools have taken home the most Heismans? It's three-way tie between Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC. (Oklahoma State, because I know you were wondering, is the home of one Heisman Trophy winner...the great Barry Sanders!) The tie won't be broken this year, as none of the three have finalists.

Tonight in New York City, the 2009 Heisman will be awarded to one of the following players:


Colt McCoy - Quarterback - University of Texas (Leader of National Championship contender Texas. Great arm and can run the football. Finished second the last yearr....I think it might be his time. He's got the most wins ever for a starting quarterback. And he's cute as he can be!)


Tim Tebow - Quarterback - University of Florida (Won the Heisman as a sophmore in 2007. He's a true leader....but this year his numbers are not as impressive as his prior campaigns and his team got beat by Alabama in the SEC Championship game and will not be a title contender.)


Mark Ingram - Running back - University of Alabama (Carried his team to the National Championship game against the Longhorns in January. He would be the first Heisman winner for the Crimson Tide.)


Toby Gerhart - Running back - Stanford (Leads the nation in rushing touchdowns at 26 and is second in rushing yards per game at 145.)


Ndamukong Suh - Defensive End - Nebraska (It's about time a defensive player was a heisman finalist again! In the game against Texas, he had 12 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks.....mind you Texas is playing for the National Championship. Blackshirt defense seems to be back!)


Who is my pick you might ask? Well, because I've not yet been asked to join the league of official Heisman voters, I'll share. If I were to cast a ballot, I'd vote:



(1) Colt McCoy
(2) Ndamukong Suh
(3) Toby Gerhart

Yes, you might notice a Big 12 bias. But really---Colt is the best quarterback in the country. And no, not because I think he's the cutest. (In fact, I think he's second to Zac Robinson in that category anyway!) He comes through big when they need him (one second chaos aside) and it's his time to win. Ndamukong is an amazing defensive lineman and I just like the idea of a defensive player winning the Heisman. Why Toby Gerhart, you ask? Because he simply has better numbers than Ingram and Tebow. Do they both play on better teams? Yes. A better conference? Yes. But this is an individual award and he's flat out got better numbers.

Tune in tonight on ESPN at 6:00 Mountain Time to see if the actual Heisman voters agree with me.

Opera 101....GUEST BLOG by Elizabeth!

"An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long fter it hs come down." ~Maria Callas

One of the fantastic people I worked with in San Francisco was Elizabeth. She's one of the sweetest people in the world.....and I seriously think that she's the biggest opera fan in the world! You have just never seen anyone get so excited when talking about opreas. She knows everything about it, she discusses all the composers and names and songs.....imagine someone talking about opera the way I enjoy talking about college football. That's Elizabeth.

Anyway, she reads the blog, so I was so excited when she agreed to guest blog about opera for me!

So....here's Elizabeth!

Opera is the greatest of all art forms because it combines every method of artistic expression. Music, acting, scenery, costumes and dance all work together to form a perfect evening of entertainment. It is therefore unfortunate, even tragic, that opera has been saddled with the reputation of being a high-minded, inaccessible and elitist form of art, for indeed, nothing could be further from the truth. 19th century composers wrote their operas for a broad, populist audience, and were constantly at pains to choose works guaranteed to be crowd pleasers.

Opera’s current, unfortunate reputation may have several sources. For one, modern audiences of opera often find themselves on the wrong side of a language barrier. This problem did not exist in the 19th century, when composers fully expected their operas to be performed in the language of the audience. Giuseppe Verdi would often translate his operas into French from Italian or vice versa. Gaetano Donizetti not only wrote in French, but wrote on subjects designed to appeal to the local audience. His charming comedy, Daughter of the Regiment, tells the story of a young girl raised by a regiment of Napoleon’s army, only to fall in love with an enemy Tyrolean, who promptly joins the regiment to win his beloved’s hand. The effervescently patriotic finale, ‘Salut a la France,’ became something of a second national anthem in France, despite having been written by a committed Italian patriot.

Verdi too was not above shameless patriotic pandering in his choice of subjects. His works The Lombards on the First Crusade and The Battle of Legnano were specifically chosen for their interest to the audience. Lombards had its premiere in Milan (the Lombardi region of Italy), and the story served as something of a crutch to the young and still insecure composer, lest his music should fail to please in its own right. Even in his later years, when his reputation was secure, Verdi thought to use a subject from Venetian history for Simon Boccanegra when commissioned to write an opera for Venice’s house. Unfortunately, the ploy was unsuccessful, with Verdi describing the reception of his work as a ‘fiasco.’

Though Verdi successfully revised the music of Simon Boccanegra following its premiere, it is still an opera known for having a particularly confusing plot. In addition to a twenty year leap forward between the prologue and Act 1, several characters spend much of the opera either concealing, or else being unaware of their true identities. Plots such as these sometimes act as a turn off to modern audiences. However, in Verdi’s day, opera plots were specifically chosen for their complicated and often unrealistic dramatic twists. Verdi’s audiences wanted to be entertained in much the same way modern audiences expect to be entertained when they go to the movies. Strange plots are a particularly great asset in an opera, as they allow the composer to showcase a wide range of emotions, and thereby infuse the work with drama.

This emotion and this drama are the very traits that ensure opera’s enduring popularity as an art form. In opera, it is the music itself that tells the story. The music allows the story to convey a meaning greater than that which can be conveyed in words alone. Glorious music can emphasize a heroic act, beautiful music can add dignity to suffering, and sinister music can make an act all the more evil. When the singers are silent, the music can nevertheless deliver a powerful psychological portrait. And when six people each share their feelings at any given moment, rather than hearing people trying to talk over one another in confusion, we hear six separate ideas harmoniously interwoven.

Opera is well worth getting to know. The one remaining difficulty is knowing where to begin. One of the best ways to begin an introduction to opera is with a highlights CD. Once you’ve gotten to know the CD, choose your favorite track and buy a full length recording of that opera. It’s likely you’ll love the opera so much, you’ll wonder how they could choose just one aria as a highlight.
Another excellent way to get to know opera is by watching a DVD of a performance. Seeing a performance can be very useful to understanding the action. One of my favorite operas, Lucia di Lammermoor, has just been released on DVD with Anna Netrebko in the title role. This opera was broadcast live from the Met last year, and features a wonderful cast singing beautiful music. Based on a novel by Sir Walter Scott, the action takes place in Scotland. Lucia and Edgardo fall in love. Unfortunately, they are from feuding families. What’s more, Lucia’s brother, Enrico, has arranged for Lucia to marry a man capable of restoring Enrico to political favor at court. Predictably, the opera, ends in tragedy when Lucia goes insane, kills her husband on their wedding night, and then dies herself. Her beloved Edgardo, hearing of her death, promptly kills himself, but not before singing of how the two will be reunited in heaven. This is one opera where I honestly love every moment of the music.

Finally, for the excitement of a live performance, I would recommend the Met’s HD broadcasts. For several years, the Met has been broadcasting live performances into movie theaters around the country. In addition to seeing an opera for about the cost of a standing room ticket at the Met, you can have a close up view of all the action, and watch interviews with the stars during intermission. It’s an excellent way to get to know opera.

Though getting to know the operatic repertory may seem like a daunting task, it’s nothing but a complete joy once you begin. While settings and plots may seem remote and alien, the emotion contained in the music will be all too familiar. The music helps to convey meaning that cannot be fully communicated in words. Simply put, opera allows us to express that which is beyond description.

Throwback Thursday #6: Chocolat et Formage (Part 2)

"Too often...I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." ~Louis L'Amour


So today's blog is about Gruyeres (pronounced Gru yay) Switzerland. You might have heard of gruyere cheese....it's from here. I have to say, this was probbly my favorite village of the entire trip. It's got a beautiful view (which you'll see in a minute), nestled in the Alps, green, trees, cattle everywhere.....it was great!

Anyway...we rode the train back from Broc to Gruyere. Here was the train station.

The best part was going up to the Gruyeres Castle. Here it was up on the top of the hill. We weren't sure exactly what was up there, but figured we had to go check it out. Good decision!

It was quite a little hike up there. We stopped about halfway up to take a picture of us hiking along.

I took videos.....I'll see if I can figure out how to put them on the blog and maybe do a blog of videos, because I am telling you, the pictures just do not do it justice. Just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.Once we got there, it was awesome! There was a little midevil-type village in the castle. There were little shops and restaurants and cobblestone streets...so cute!

We did a little shopping.....had to buy some souvineers. I got my parents a tiny coocoo clock that didn't make noise becuse it would have made them crazy. They had really cool big ones that actually did coocoo.... I cannot say much more without ruining Christmas present for someone. :)

Now, back down near the train station, there is the cheese factory. There was also this little house which just seemed like it was classic Switzerland to me. Kind of looks like the coocoo clock above, no?
We went to the cheese factory where we saw rooms and rooms FULL of cheese wheels. I just couldn't believe how much cheese there was!

To my excitement, I found a cow statue in the cheese factory. You had to know that was going to happen! I'm impressed.

Speaking of cows, we saw this billboard. I have no clue what it says....for some reason I have it in my head it was about health insurance (not that I would know....) but it did get my attention to see a girl doing the splits milking a cow!

So because we were at a cheese factory, we had to have some fondue! It was really good--fresh cheese and fresh bread....yummy!

The fondue discussion gave me an idea for the blog next week. I took lots of pictures of the food we ate in Europe. So, next week.....I'll blog about all the food! My cousins/traveling partners were SO annoyed with me and my eating pictures, but hey, I figure people might want to know what we ate over there. Stay tuned!

Oh yea....and if you missed part 1 of this blog, you can see that here: http://tiffanyd22.blogspot.com/2009/12/throwback-thursday-chocolat-et-formage.html

Stop Helping the Jerk Gene

"Women really do rule the world. They just haven't figured it out yet. When they do, and they will, men are all in big big trouble." ~Doctor Leon

So, any of you who are friends with me on facebook know from my recent status update that I'm not very happy with Tiger Woods. I believe my exact status was something along the lines of "Tiffany thinks that if Tiger's wife didnt' whop him in the head with that golf club, she should have. Twice."

Today, as I read my daily update on how the list of mistresses continues to grow, it got me thinking....while certainly Tiger is a jerk and deserves to be whopped with a golf club, these mistresses are jerks as well. It takes two two to tango as they say, and these girls should not have been having these ongoing affairs with a married man. Much less a married man whose pregnant wife is at home raising his kids.

I know that we ladies tend to get in "men bashing" moods, where we say things like "they are all the same" and "all men are dogs" and the like. Women seem to think tht men have a "jerk gene." You know what....sounds like the same thing could be said for some women, at least based on this Tiger situation. These women knew who he was (he IS Tiger Woods for crying out loud) and knew that he was married. Anyone with a tv or access to google can figure this out. Yet, they go right on and have an affair with him. Not cool.

So, needless to say, married men...stop screwing around on your wives. And single (or maybe not so single) ladies....stop helping them. If there were no girls to cheat with, there could be no cheaters. Respect the institution of marriage, and the "other woman"/wife in the situation. Seems like the golden rule should probably come into play here.

So maybe some (I did say SOME....boys in my life don't get all up in arms) men do have a "jerk" gene.....but girls like this need to stop helping them make it show!

Seeing Ourselves Clearly

"And why is it that we can see our friends perfectly, but when it comes to ourselves, no matter how hard we look, do we ever see ourselves clearly?" ~Carrie Bradshaw

What a great quote. I have heard it before, but recently I thought of it again. One of my friends, who shall remain nameless in the blog, called me and during our conversation I was reminded that we really don't see ourselves the way other people see us. She was talking about herself, and it was completely different from the person I see! This was completely ridiculous because she's so fantastic---she's beautiful and smart and funny and someone should be telling her these things every single day!

When we see ourselves, we see the bad things---the extra 5 pounds (or more for some of us!), the blemishes, the designer jeans we don't have, the failures or the pain or whatever issues we're dealing with. When our friends, at least our true friends, look at us, they don't see any of those things. They see people who they care about---people who are beautiful, despite any of the things mentioned above. People who are smart and funny and who they love unconditionally. Our friends see the good things we do, the kind hearts we have.

I really hope you have people in your life who see you this way....and who tell you about it. Because you know what? If you are ANY of my friends, or anything like them, you are great and deserve to be told that by someone all the time.

So think about the people in your life. Do any of them need to be told today that they are beautiful or important or whatever else? Think about who probably doesn't hear that enough. Maybe some of them have someone to tell them these things every day (darn happy married people!) ;) But probably, some don't. Send them a card. Give them a hug. Write a text message. You will make their day and maybe you can help them see themselves the way you see them.

And nameless friend, you are a ROCKSTAR and anyone who is too stupid to see that is someone who doesn't deserve to be in your life! :) I heart you!

Correction for Cousin Kevin

"There are three kinds of people in this world. Those who can count, and those who can't."

Oh my dear Cousin Kevin. He has informed me that my blog last week about our family Thanksgiving was misleading. I didn't tell the truth about the quantity of meat he cooked in his smoker. In his words, "If you can't get the truth from your blog, where can you?" In an attempt to try and make him happy, I have decided to blog all about Cousin Kevin on Thanksgiving. I hope to provide enough detail that he approves.

Meet Cousin Kevin and his family. He has four of the coolest kids you will ever meet. He's okay too...

When he arrived at my parents' house on Friday night, he prepared the meat for cooking. Here he is glaring at someone in the kitchen. I do not know who he was glaring at or why he was glaring. Don't want to be misleading about that, so I won't speculate.

So here he is on the big day with the cooker. He shows up at the house at 5:15. AM. Yes, AM. What does he do? Calls me for coffee. I'm not some Starbuck's barista, yet I get out of my warm, comfy bed, but on three layers of clothing, get his coffee and go hang out with him in the freezing cold. Anyone feel like I should be the one getting more of the attention for being such a great cousin?

Finally everyone else showed up and Baby Cousin was on Kevin-sitting duty. You see Kev here, thinking. I believe he is doing the math to figure out how much food to cook. So, here is the grand total......mind you, this was what I was incorrect on the first time, so I was sure to be right this time: 3 briskets, numerous sausages (jalapeno and otherwise), 7 (yes, I said SEVEN) racks of ribs....

......and two chickens. You can see why I tried to gloss over the actual amount of food. It's embarassing. My family has an eating disorder....it's called being pigs. (Mind you, this is the same family that mocked me endlessly the night before when I ordered a salad for dinner because I was trying to save room for the next day).

Now, some of you may be thinking, "Poor Cousin Kevin, he had to work cooking, slaving over the cooker all day." Don't feel bad for Cousin Kevin. He says that in order to make good ribs, one must drink a lot of beer. The ribs were excellent. You do the math.

And because he was not full from ribs and beer, he had cake. Not only his piece, but mine too. Again, I'm the giver. It's in my nature. He should blog about that.

So it is my sincere hope that this blog has corrected any misconceptions that Cousin Kevin merely cooked 5 racks of ribs. Indeed, I would hate for anyone to have the impression that our family ate such small amount at the yearly Family Dinner.

P.S. ~ I love you Kev....don't be mad anymore. :)

We Weren't Born To Follow.....

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." ~Thomas Jefferson

Great song by Bon Jovi.....except for when it comes to my blog page! :) Several of you have said you want to become followers, but it won't let you. Here's the deal.

Go to my blog page and at (or near) the top right, you'll see my list of followers. You can just click on the FOLLOW button.

Then when it asks you what account, say google account. It's okay if you don't have a google email---I don't have one even.

You just go to the page where it lets you sign in and on the left you can create an account for free. Just enter in your email address (any works....I use my hotmail) and create a password.

Then you can become a follower! I know there are some people who read the blog that don't follow, so let's get you signed up so you get notified when I make a new post! :)

And, because I'm apparently too dumb to install a site meter correctly, I can tell how many people actually read my rantings! :)

GUEST BLOG by Stefanie!

"You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." ~Pooh's Grand Adventure

I've known Stefanie for about 9 years or so...since she was a little pipsqueak picking out show lambs at Mr. Franklin's house. She's like a litlte sister to me and I'm so glad she's in my life! She's all grown up now...a senior in high school....which makes me feel insanely old! You might have seen her kicking everyone's butt in the sheep show ring, or breaking hearts outside the ring. :) She's fantastic and I'm so glad she's guest blogging!

So....here's Stefanie!

Life's biggest challenges make for a sweeter victory.

Well, I couldn't think of what I should write about. I feel like I need something that all of Tiff's friends could relate to. So after I pondered a while, I decided that Tiff missed her calling....She should definitely be a therapist. But, I suppose a lawyer will work too. Just with the circle of friends we havein comon, she is doing us all a favor either way. By the way Tiff, umm do you think you could get my ticket shaved off? JUST KIDDING! :)

Tiff has always been such an inspiring and helpful friend no matter how silly or how deep the problem. So, as I thought about that....Bingo. I found my blog topic.

The challenges we face today, the simple ones or the ones that really have detrimental impacts on us, are all a part of wht builds and binds our character. I don't know about you all, but I use to hate the saying, "it builds character" and yet, here I am using it. (What a hypocrit!) "It builds character" was my mom's sympathy for any complaint I honestly believe. But really it is true. Think about it.

It can be a simple challenge such as a competition, the more intense the competition and the more effort you dedicate to it, the sweeter the outcome or victory. Along the way, you will develop character, good or bad, you will obtain it.

If you are hte one who has faced or is facing (do you realize in life it seems like you are always facing challenge of some sort?) one of life's interrupting challenges, sadly, it will build character too. Probably it will even help define you. And at the same time, it may seem detrimentl. But as time heals the wounds, or Tiff works her therapist magic, you will find yourself stronger and the victory worthwile.

Think about some of your greatest heroes. Chances are they they didn't find that special place in your heart the easy way, did they? As I think of my greatest hero, Pops (Jerry Franklin), some of his most inspiring and motivational impacts on me were how he coped with Lou Gehrig's disease. Even as something so tragic impacted his life, he didn't let it impact his character in a negtive way. It just grew more positive each day. He strived on with faith and leadership, just like he taught so many of us. He definitely set the ultimate example of heroic character. Through his struggle he excelled with grace, which left a sweet victory on so many. We even found an unborn character and strength within ourselves as we went through such a loss.

I honestly beleive we are all stronger than we know, and though we are tested from time to t ime, we "CAN DO IT!" By "doing it" and facing the challenge, whatever it may be that life presents us with, we will be building in ourselves, character, and preparing for a sweeter victory.

Keep on keeping on....when the going gets tough, you gotta get tougher.