Throwback Thursday #14: Bascilica of St. Paul

“Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” ~St. Paul, Eph 6:13

As I mentioned in my blog about the Vatican, I didn't get the spiritual feeling I expected when I was there. I love going into old churches anywhere.....I find them beautiful and peaceful. The Vatican, while amazing, didn't do that for me. It was crowded, very touristy, and sort of commercial.

However, the Bascilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls made up for that. We almost didn't go---it's way out of the way from anywhere else you want to go in Rome. But, both Cousin Swiss Mister and I really wanted to see where St. Paul was buried, especially since he was such an influential teacher of the Word in the New Testament. So, we load up on the metro and head to the Bascilica.

We get there.....and realize we are in the ghetto. Like seriously scary. We wonder around, while praying we don't get shot, and finally figure out where the church is. An example of the type of neighborhood we were in can be seen here. These would be shards of glass that are placed on the top of the wall surrounding the church. Seriously. Although, if you think about St. Paul's ministry, it seems fitting that he is buried outside the walls of Rome, that he is with the people who are on the outside. He was called to preach the word of God to the Gentiles.....he was used to being out of the limelight, among those on the outside. We happened to come up on the back of the church. This is what we see.

I'm thinking, you have to be kidding me....this is kinda a dump. How could Paul be buried here? Little did I know how amazing it was going to be once we got inside, and found the front of the Bascilica.

The Bascilica is absolutely huge, with beautiful frescas, huge pilars and marble floors. There are several different small chapels inside the one large Bascilica.

The center of the Bascilica is where the tomb of St. Paul is located. As you can see, there is the statue over to top of the tomb, and you can then go down the steps and kneel in front of the tomb itself.
Above is the tomb. The window lets you see right into the marble within which St. Paul's bones lie. The inscription reads PAULO APOSTOLO MART, which means Apostle Paul, martyr. Below is a chain. This is the actual chain that was used to hold St. Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome. Seeing these things with your own eyes, being this close to such an important part of history was amazing.

If you get the chance to go to Rome, I would recommend walking up to the front of the Bascilica. Here is what you'll see. It's quite different than the back. :)

Cousin Swiss Mister was so impressed, he shot some video of the Bascilica. I am improving my blogging skills, so I think this will work and you will be able to check it out!

Storylines of the Olympic Games

"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it." ~Dalai Lama XIV

I love the Olympics, for reasons just like we have seen this week. The nice guy finishes first. Tremendous sacrifices made by a couple pay off. These are what the Olympics are made for.

Nice Guy Finishes First.

Everyone has probably heard about Alex Bilodeau, the 22 year old Canadian moguls skier who gave Canada their first gold medal on home soil. Ever. Seeing all of the Canadian fans go completely crazy when "Oh Canada" was played at the medal ceremony was really great.

But my favorite part of the story has to do with his brother. His older brother, Frederic, suffers from cerebral palsy. Alex told the press that his brother has been an inspiration to him since he was a child. When Alex didn't want to get out of bed on cold mornings to get to practice, he would think of his brother, who didn't have the opportunity to ski. Alex said that he has adopted his brother's philosophy on life, "Enjoy life." Alex says that if his brother can have that philosophy, when Frederic really does have a right to complain, Alex can do it too.

When Alex won the race, Frederic joined him at the base of the ski run. His family pushed him in his wheelchair down the ramp from the bleachers. He waved both of his arms in the air and shouted all the way to the base of the ski run. It may not have gotten the national attention of the medals ceremony, but it may have meant just as much to Alex and Frederic.

Tremendous Sacrifices Pay Off.

The other big story line was in pairs figure skating. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo have been skatin together for 18 years. This was their 4th Olympics. They have been world champions twice. The only thing missing? Their Olympic gold medal.

A lot of people got on their bandwagon because of the love story.....the couple married in 2007. It was the day after Valentine's Day. All that love, romance junk.

That's not the reason I love the story. I like the sacrifices they made. These two retired when they got married. But then, they came back, all to try to get the illusive gold medal. They lived in the dorms at the figure skating training center, separately. They ate in the cafeteria. They didn't have much of a married life. This is what the Olympics are all about---sacrifices to have one chance at your dream every four years. These skaters left their family to move to the training center eighteen years ago. They put their lives and marriage on hold. In the end, it paid off. They got their gold medal.

What's their plan now? To have a huge wedding celebration, re-retire, and have a baby. Because they were willing to make sacrifices, they will do all three with gold medals around their necks.

Yep....these two stories are what the Olympics are all about.

Beat OU.....check!

"Beating OU.....PRICELESS!" ~The back of a t-shirt owned by me and ever other OSU alum!

Well, as you can all tell, I am not quite as much of a college basketball fanatic as I am college football. Don't get me wrong, I do love it and come March Madness, I fill out my bracket and watch as many games as I can cram into a day like everyone else! But I have noticed I don't blog about it nearly as much.

However, I just can't let a Bedlam victory go unnoticed. Yes, that's right.....my Pokes beat the Sooners. And we didn't just beat them, we destroyed them! Final score: 97-76.

James Anderson scored 31 points, and our little point guard, Keiton Page scored 25. Keiton is probably my favorite player on our team....he's a tiny little white guy, and when Coach Ford walked in for his first team meeting in the locker room, he thought Page was just a friend of one of the players. Instead, he's our starting point guard. And he's a small town Oklahoma boy. You have to love him!

So it's been bit of an up and down season.....we win big against 10th ranked K-State in Manhattan, then we go on a 4 game skid. But let me tell you, nothing is better for an OSU fan than winning Bedlam! Hopefully this will help turn things around and get us safely into the Tournament. I'm sick of seeing OSU on the "Last Four In" list....makes me nervous!

Go Pokes!!

Da Da Dadadadada.....(The Olympic Music)

"The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us." ~John Williams

I love the Olympics. Have since I was a little kid. I can remember watching the summer olympics when I was about 6 or so......Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner-Kersee were running the hurdles. My brother and I stacked up vhs tapes (I realize these are completely old school now) in the living room and pretended they were hurdles. I think my family and I have watched every Olympic games that have ever been since I've been alive. Although the summer games are my favorite, I love the winter ones too!

Only the Olympics can get people to go from being armchair quarterbacks to armchair ski jumpers and figure skating judges. Seriously....even my redneck, small town family who have skated like twice in life are talking about the artistic impression scores and analyzing who was better, talking about how the ski jumper should have been more parallel, about how the bob sled blew that turn, and whether the curlers should stop sweeping sooner. And the coverage on NBC does a great job of showing all the great stories----the adorable couple skating together in pairs, the guy on the podium who almost walked away from skiing, the underdog stories galore, the first Canadian gold on their soil dedicating the win to his brother with cerebral paulsy......there's always a story!

So I hope you're enjoying the Olympic coverage......I plan to blog more about Vancouver 2010, and about favorite Olympic moments from years past in the next two weeks, so stay tuned.

Family Farm Friday # 7: Farming - The American Dream

"I learned that there were two ways I could live my life: following my dreams or doing something else. Dreams aren't a matter of chance, but a matter of choice." ~David Copperfield

The American Angus Association has been doing a wonderful series called "I Am Angus." My friend Crystal, who works for the Association, has been showing several of these videos on her blog....so I borrowed my favorite one. They focus on certain angus producers and do a short feature on their operation. First off, I think the idea of this series is amazing. This is exactly the kind of story telling that people in the agriculture industry really need to be doing today. Way to go American Angus Association!

Anyway, the most recent segment focuses on Tullyfergus Angus, located in New York state. The owners, Robert and Linda Groom, moved to America from Scotland ten years ago. The reason? They had their American dream---to have their own farm in the United States. They have made their dream come true. Today, they are producing high quality Angus cattle, and raising a family on the farm. To see their story, watch the "I Am Angus" video below.

Farming is the quintessential American dream. For centuries, farmers have been respected in American society. Owning a farm allows a person to create a way of life, to own their own land, to produce food and clothing for themselves and for America, to raise children with a strong work ethic, and to leave a legacy that can last for generations. If that's not the American dream, I don't know what is.

Throwback Thursday #13: Ancient Rome

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard

And finally....the blog about ancient Rome. I say finally, because I know that when everyone thinks about Rome, they think of the Colliseum. Seeing these buildings and ruins was amazing. If you ever have the chance to go to Rome, take it! It will be an experience you will not forget.

This first building is one I had never seen or even heard of. But as we were wondering the streets, we saw this from like 20 blocks away and knew we had to go check it out! It really is one of the most impressive buildings in Rome. Turns out, it is the parliament building. The first picture is a close up of the top of one of the towers. You'll see the second includes Cousin Swiss Mister. He got really sick in Rome and didn't get to do much sight seeing.

Between the parliament building and the Colliseum, there is the Roman Forum. The ruins are absolutely amazing! This area was the center of Roman civilization.

The Pantheon is another really cool structure, located a little out of the way from the rest of the ruins, but worth it. Plus, as you have read about in a prior blog, Michaelangelo's is right next to the Pantheon, and you have to go eat there! Anyway, the Pantheon was built as a temple to the Roman Gods, but for centuries now has been used as a Catholic Church. On Sundays, they have Mass in the building, and you can seen inside.....which would be the second photograph taken below.

Next, we have the Arch of Constantine. It was built to celebrate the victory of Constantine at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. I especially enjoyed seeing this, as I did an honors paper on Constantine, who was instrumental in helping to spread Christianity in Rome.

And here's another arch located one of the entrances to the Roman Forum, called the Arch of Titus.

And finally, the moment you have all been waiting for, the Colliseum. If you knew how long it took me to find someone who spoke English to ask them to take my picture, you would laugh. I finally found an 8 year old girl from Massachusetts who was gald to play photographer!

So the Throwback Thursday blogs about the European adventure are getting close to an end. Next week, I will write about the place I found to be the most spiritual on the trip, the Bascilica of St. Paul. Then we'll have a blog about my morning walking around alone wandering the streets, and then a final blog summarizing the trip. So three to go....stay tuned!

Happy Endings

"If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." ~Orson Welles

So I recently learned that a certain movie, which was based on a book, has a completely different ending than the book. (I'm trying not to spoil anything here....). Apparently they made it a happy ending, rather than the real ending from the book.

I think this is a huge problem in Hollywood.....there is always a happy ending. The love story always works out. The cure always comes. The good guy always wins. The marriage is always easy. And the bad guy always gets caught. I think this is bad for real life. We expect life to always be easy and for us to always get a happy ending.

I'm as guilty as everyone else. I can think of one movie where there is not the classic "happy ending." My Best Friend's Wedding. Have you seen it? Julia Roberts is in love with her best friend, don't know his name, but Hot Guy with the scar on his lip. Problem? Hot Guy is engaged to Cameron Diaz. You watch Julia struggle with trying to win over Hot Guy. At one point, they kiss under a gazeebo on what was supposed to be his wedding day to Cameron. Now....because I'm a happy ending sucker, I stop the movie right there and pretend it's the end. Seriously, I don't watch the actual ending. (In case you don't know....he ditches Julia and marries Cameron). In life, that's probably the real ending....the perky blonde gets the girl and the best friend is left out in the cold. But it's not the happy one I want, so I change it. I'm as guilty as the people in Hollywood.

In life, sometimes happy endings don't come. Sometimes, the love story that would end happy in the movie, just ends. Sometimes the cure isn't found, the good guy gets beat, and life is just hard. Don't get me wrong....I'm not whining (Cousin Kevin gets angry with me when I whine on the blog) and I know my life is great and I'm completely blessed more than I deserve. But I'm just saying, sometimes happy endings in movies mke us think that is how life will always be. And when life is hard, we want to throw our hands up because it's not like that in the movies.

So the bottom line is that life is hard, it's not always fair, and there are not always happy endings right away. I believe that things work out in the end like they are supposed to, and that we all get our happy endings, just maybe not here on earth. So unlike the movies, where they can just change a sad ending into a happy one, in life we have to learn to deal with the endings we're given.

At least we have to for now, until we figure out a way to pause life the way I pause My Best Friend's Wedding.

Proud To Be A Cowboy

"Please remember The Ten. Good men, good sons, good fathers, good friends." ~Doug Gottlieb

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the tenth anniversary of the OSU plane crash. One of my good friends, and fellow OSU alums sent me this wonderful article written by Doug Gottlieb, a former OSU basketball player and current ESPN analyist. It's long, but it's worth reading.

Doug graduated the year before the plane crash. He knew everyone on board. He had flown in the exact plane, on the way home from the exact game, two years earlier. He describes each of the men who were lost that day; he describes them as his friends.

He talks about going to school in Stillwater, playing for the Cowboys, and what it means to Remember The Ten. He also talks about how painful it had to have been for Coach Sutton to make those 10 phone calls 9 years ago, and how he thinks the pain is something he never got over. He talks about even though Stillwater has changed, people still remember.

This is honestly what being a member of the OSU family is about. It's a network of people who have shared experiences...whether you walked across the campus 4 years ago or 40, you are connected with everyone else who bleeds orange.

This is why we remember The Ten. This is why I'm proud to be a Cowboy.

The Good Ol' Valentine's Days

"Love is that first feeling you get before all the bad stuff gets in the way." ~Some little kid

I generally complain about Valentine's Day, like any other single girl in America. But this year, instead of my complaining, I thought I'd share the other thought that always comes to mind every year....how much more fun was Valentine's Day when I was a kid!? So here we go, Valentine's Day 5th Grade.....circa 1995.


First off...relationships (if you can call them that) were better in the 5th grade. I mean really......they were easier, there was no pressure, none of the cute boys were married....see? Easier!

Your entire relationship was based on holding hands on the playground, always picking the other person first for kickball, passing notes in class and occasionally being brave enough to call the person on the phone. Why did things have to get complicated? I sort of miss that 5th grade state of mind. Because the relationships were better, the Valentine's Days were better. I feel the need to share a few Valentine's Day stories from better times.

The first will involve me and my 5th grade boyfriend. We'll call him FirstValentine. I remember him bringing me candy and a teddy bear and a card....all on one Valentine's Day! I haven't gotten something that good in the fifteen years since! Remember those card machines that were at like Wal-Mart and you could design them yourself? Yep....it was one of those. Creative and sweet. I still have that card. Like I say, they just don't make Valentine's Day like they used to.

Another example involves two of my friends from my 5th grade class. We'll call them Tom Cruise and the cheerleader. Tom Cruise liked the cheerleader, but she didnt' seem so sure. In order to win her over, he hand-made her a gift.....it was made of Dallas Cowboys fabric (her favorite team) and ended up in the shape of Gumby. I still think back to that and about how cute it was that he made her something from scratch, focusing on what she liked. Sigh.....I have never received my own Gumby, but I frequently remind the cheerleader about hers.

Next fond memory, in 5th grade, everyone had to get a valentine from everyone else. Now, of course, not everyone had to get Gumby dolls or teddy bears, but everyone at least got one of those little valentine's that came in a box from everyone else in class. This equated to getting like 15 cards! Woo hoo!

And last thing, there was a party that everyone was invited to, whether you had a date or not. You didn't have to worry about being the third wheel. Everybody's mom brought junk food and cokes and we all watched a movie. Again, no pressure, no judgment, just enjoying the holiday. Yep, those were the good ol' days.

Oh, and you may wonder what happened to my friends? Apparently great Valentine's Day gifts don't equate to happily ever after for 5th grade romances. Tom Cruise lives in another state with his wife and beautiful baby. The cheerleader lives in a different small town with her two awesome kiddos. FirstValentine ended up in love with his high school sweetheart and they had two adorable kids of their own. We stayed good friends over the years until he passed away a year and a half ago. He was always there for me.....he did all of my home ec assignments and was the only reason that class didn't kill my gpa! I think of him often now, and I have always thought of him on Valentine's Day.

So this year, instead of complaining, I think I might go buy myself some junk food, look for my own gumby doll, watch a movie, and pretend I'm back in 5th grade again.

Family Farm Friday # 6 : Century Awards

"I say invest in your farm families, because your farm families will turn around and put every cent they've earned back into the farm, into their communities." ~ Jon Hagler, Missouri Director of Agriculture

In one of my google alerts about agriculture, I came across a great program in Oregon and see now that there are similar programs in several other states. I don't know if all other states do this or not, but I think that if they don't, they need to start!

Oregon (and apparently several other states including New York, Missouri, and Iowa) award program called the "Century Farm and Ranch Program" that recognizes farmers and ranchers whose families have worked the same land for 100 years. The operations get recognition at the State Fair (where else??) and get a sign for their yard. They are asked in many states to submit narratives and photographs of the farms over the years, and these are kept on file or made into a book. But more important than that is the fact that people recognize the kind of dedication, commitment and hard work it takes to keep a farm or ranch going for one hundred years.
As Missouri Governor Jack Markell put it, “I am not a farmer, but I recognize the kind of dedication, love of the land and perseverance it takes to live the agricultural life, an enduring way of life. I salute these families for their living history, their ongoing contribution to our state’s agricultural heritage, and sincerely hope that their children and grandchildren will carry on the tradition and farm this land for many years to come.”

The pride that a family farm instills in the owners is something that's hard to explain. It's a sense of belonging, of purpose, and of home that I don't think other people will ever understand. You learn at a young age the type of sacrifices required to keep a farm going. This summer, my family will gather at the homestead of my great grandparents to celebrate its Century anniversary. 100 years ago, my great grandparents loaded their baby up in a wagon, drove to the homested and settled there. Four more babies, lots of grandkids and great grandkids later, it's been 100 years. I'm proud to say that farm is still in our family, owned by my great uncle. The farm that my grandparents started is just over 50 years old. If blogs are still popular in 50 more years, expect to be seeing a blog about that anniversary as well.
Think about the idea of farming for a century....these farms and ranches began in 1910. To put this in perspective, that was before any World Wars had been fought, about the same time that Henry Ford was building his first model T, and before several states (including my own) were even states. And every day from then until now, these families have been farming and ranching. I agree with Governor Markell, I hope that 100 years from now, these people's grandchildren are getting the 200 year award.