Coach Wooden's Legacy

"Other coaches inspired their charges to be great basketball players. Wooden inspired them to be great men." ~Jake Simpson, sportswriter

Last week, legendary basketball coach John Wooden passed away at 99. The media coverage intrigued me.

Of course, they talked about his UCLA basketball teams and discussed how he became known as the "Wizzard of Westwood." But so many people would simply comment, almost in passing, on the fact that he was a great coach. And, of course, he was. 10 National Championships in 12 years and an 88 game winning-streak prove that.

But last week, much more time was spent talking about what a great person he was. They talked about the life lessons he taught players. About his own moral convictions--like refusing to ever utter a curse word. They talked about the impact he had on people's lives. As far as legacies go, this likely matters more in the end.

I read a great article listing the Top Ten quotes from Coach Wooden. I thought I'd share.

10. "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

9. "Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

8. "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

7. "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

6. "A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."

5. "Success if never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

4. "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doin anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

3. "The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."

2. "Never mistake activity for achievement."

1. "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

Family Farm Friday #20: More Bragging on California

"Right now we have three gnerations living and working here together, and so a lot of our family life and the farming kind of mesh." ~Kathie Brown

A couple weeks ago I posted a blog about these great advertisements about California family dairy farmers. I promised then that I had another California blog in the works, so here it is!

When I was in San Francisco last month for Bay to Breakers, I met up with my friend Gonzaga at the Ferry Building for the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. I was so excited when she wanted to go, because this was one of my favorite things to do when I lived in San Francisco. I tried to go just about every weekend and took a lot of my summer visitors there as well.

The Ferry Building area is packed with vendors--selling everything you can imagine--fresh fruits, veggies, flowers, honey, cheese, baked goods, nuts....I'm telling you, it's phenominal. There is nothing like the fruit they have at this market---we're talking strawberries the size of your head (okay maybe I'm a little exaggerating...) that you can honestly smell from like 3 booths away (that part is true!). People who live in California take this stuff for granted. I'll assure you that in middle America, we don't get strawberries like that!

Anyway, at the market, there were all kinds of signs advertising products from family farms. I, of course, thought of the blog! They also have some great boards the discuss issues related to farming like land use and the importance of preserving farm land.

You might not think of San Francisco as being an ag-friendly place, but it really is. There are farmers markets all over the city, in just about every neighborhood, and they are always packed with people. As I've mentioned before, Yoga Master made dinner just about entirely from the Noe Valley farmer's market one night of my trip.

Sometimes we don't take the time to thank the "city folk" for supporting agriculture. We should do better--so way to go San Francisco! My only complaint is that they don't ship those strawberries to me!

Throwback Thursday #24: Gotta Love Football!

"Southern girls know their religions....Methodist, Baptist, and football." ~Unknown

This week's throwback Thursday story was inspired by one of the Oklahoma Girls, who posted the following on my facebook wall:

"Tiff...I need you to fill me in on this whole Football news thing. Are we no longer in the Big-12?? I just now know all about it, I don't know anything about this Pac-10 business, and I am pretty sure I don't like Pac-10. What does this mean for college football, am I going to have to re-learn everything you taught me??"

As a sidenote, I'm furious about this whole Big 12 situation, but that'll be another blog for another day!

Now, you may realize from reading hte blog that I am a total college football fanatic. I know stats, conferences, coaches, BCS games.....I've got it down. And, I talk about it all the time. During football season, you know where I'll be on a Saturday.

This rubbed off on two of my favorite girls, the Oklahoma Girl mentioned above and College Roomie. And, thus, the Throwback Thursday begins.

College Roomie and I were in our first year at OSU. We (of course) got student football tickets and were off to our first home game. It was the second weekend of the season, so needless to say, the weekend before College Roomie had been forced to deal with football on the tv for about 12 hours straight. So we're at the game, we kick off, the other team goes on offense. And then it comes. The best question ever. College Roomie rocks out with:

"Where's the line?"

I didn't know what she meant. I ask her to clarify. She responds:

"You know, the yellow line that shows how far they have to go?"

Needless to say, that started a few lessons---I'm now proud to say she's pretty well versed. She knows what positions are offense and defense, she knows how to talk trash about other conferences, and she knows that the yellow line is only on tv.
College football bonding.....I can't wait for the fall to arrive....yellow lines and all!

The Mouths of Seniors

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many." ~Author Unknown

I love old people. Always have. I know a lot of people dread aging, but I look forward to being an old lady. One of the main reasons: they can say whatever they want and it's funny and cute. I think old people say the best things. When we're young, we have to use a filter. But old people? They get to say whatever they want!

One of the Oklahoma Girls got a new job (yay!) where she works in a physical therapy office. She emailed me a funny story about what one of the old men who comes into the office said. Of course, a light bulb went off and I told her to make me a list of them for the blog! Here we go....

• Oklahoma Girl: Mr. G you are dressed very nice today, I love your shirt(its a pink paisley shirt, very in style).
  Mr. G: I would sure hope you like it, I have had it since 1978.


• There is a little old lady whose husband, Mr. W, just drops her off then comes and picks her up. Oklahoma Girl asked him, "Where do you go everyday when you drop her off?"
  He replied, "Well I go to Lowe's the expect me there, if I am not there, I let them down...and they really don't appreciate it."
• Mr.G.: "My wife said she needed to go on a diet. I told her, listen you are 90 yrs. old, you can eat whatever damn thing you want."


• Oklahoma Girl: "Good morning Mrs. J., where is your husband at today."
  Mrs. J.: "Do you think I need him to drive me all the time? I can drive myself you know, I ain't blind."

Nobody's Perfect....

"He's pitching against time. He's pitching against the future, against age, and even when you think about his career, against ending. And tonight I think he might be able to use that aching old arm one more time to push the sun back up in the sky and give us one more day of summer." ~ For Love of the Game

....even when you really are. Just ask Armando Galaragga.

For those of you non-sports fans out there, Galaragga is a pitcher in the MLB for the Detroit Tigers. Last week, he was on track to throw the perfect game.

For those of you who are really non-sports fans, the perfect game for a pitcher is where no runner gets on base. He doesn't have to strike every batter out, but the ones who do get a hit must be out at 1st base. I'd suggest watching Kevin Cosner in "For Love of the Game" to get a visual.

Perfect games are hard to come by. Only 20 have ever occurred in the history of professional baseball. This isn't a big deal. It's a legacy.

So back to Gallaraga. It was the ninth inning. He had already gotten two outs. One more out, and the perfect game, and his legacy, were in the books. He throws to a batter who hits a grounder. No problem--it's quickly fielded and thrown the first baseman. Then it happens. THE CALL. Safe. People are outraged--dismayed--there was no way the guy was safe and this would ruin Gallaraga's perfect game. The umpire had made the call, the batter was safe, and the perfect game was over.

Turns out, the ump was wrong. The video clearly shows that the player was out. Gallaraga threw the perfect game, but won't get credit for it. The umpire feels bad. Really bad. He's apologized and admited he made a mistake.

As for Gallaraga, he could have been a jerk and called out the ump, whined all over national tv and played the victim. He didn't. He sucked it up, accepted the apology, told the media that nobody's perfect (ironic) and everyone makes mistakes, and went back to work. In a world of famous movie stars and athletes who seem to get whatever they want and whine when anything doesn't go their way, Gallaraga is one of a kind. Good for him. And he didn't walk away empty handed. GM gave the pitcher a corvette.

Maybe he didn't have the perfect game in the books, but it seems to me like he played this situation out perfectly.

THAT Question

"At any given age, it's all about what's right for you then. So when and if you're ready to share the sheets with someone permanently, you'll make that bridal registry. If it's at thirty then it's at thirty. If it's at fifty, then it's at fifty. And if it's not on your list, you don't have to pencil it in. Last time I checked there were still plently of mountains you could climb, medical cures that only you could discover, and you're late for your date with world peace." ~Jerusha Stewart, The Single Girl's Manifesta



"Are you married?" "Marital Status?"


For the life of me, I do not understand why THAT question has to come up as often as it does.

I had to go to the eye doctor last week. You should understand in general that this puts me in a bad mood for several reasons. First, I don't like doctors. Never have. Second, in the 2nd grade I got glasses. The doctor told me that I'd outgrow my need for them. Here we are some 18 years later and I'm still in them. Good call, doc. Third, it's expensive. I have to wear bifocals (have since I was 16, cool, I know) and getting the no line bifocal lenses will just about make a person go broke! Anyway, it's with this mindset with which I went in to the doctor's office.


They copy my insurance card and then give me a stack of papers to fill out. Name, date of birth, address.....and then there it is. THAT question. Now, what possible relevance does it have to the eye doctor if I'm married or not? Does that affect the type of eye exam I get? The perscription that he comes up with? No. It doesn't.


College Roomie tried to stick up for the doctor by arguing that they needed to know in case of an emergency. But that can't be true because there is a whole section for "Emergency Contact" that lets you list a name, number and relationship to you. So, I ask again, what's the relevance of THAT question?


And why does it have to be THAT question? Why don't forms have a "College Graduate?" question? Or a "Pay Your Own Bills?" question? Or maybe a "Traveled Overseas?" question? All of these things are important to the people who do them, just like THAT question is important to the people who are married. I just don't see why their question is on all the forms and my suggestions aren't.


I really wanted to do an adendum to my form that answered THAT question as "Single, but....." and then listing out all the great parts about my life. I decided against it for two reasons. First, they might think I'm crazy. Second, I didn't want to offend anyone and get my eye poked out by that little machine that tests the pressure or whatever!


So, instead, I pent up my anger and saved it for the blog. Whew...feel better now. (Note to those of you freaking out that I'm going to die alone with a cat....I really do want to get married some day. And I really don't like cats.)

Family Farm Friday #19: How Rich We Are

"I forgot how much I love that smell of the dirt fresh off the plow, that tailgate rattle, tires on gravel, I sure do love that sound...." ~Mark Wills, Things We Forget

Last week my dad forwarded me this email. Those of you who know my dad understand why I still get a kick out of the face that he actually learned to send emails. Some things never cease to amaze.

Anyway, it was a great email that is perfect for Family Farm Friday. Here goes:

One day , the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip , the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great , Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah , " said the son.
"So , tell me , what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us , but they serve others.
We buy our food , but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us , they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added , "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."
I think most of us who grew up on a family farm or ranch understand this story completely. We are blessed with opportunities, friends, families, and a way of life that so many others miss out on.

The rich boy from the city was grateful to his dad for showing him how rich the farm family was. I'm thankful to mine for giving me the oppotunity to have grown up that way.

Throwback Thursday #23: My Favorite Friends Moment

"True friendship isn't about being there when it's convenient; it's about being there when it's not.” ~Unknown

I've often said that everything in life relates back to an episode of Friends. Of all the tv shows I've watched (with the exception of Friday Night Lights being like my small town, sports crazed high school), Friends is the one that seems to have been the most relatable to my life. It's sort of ironic that I'd relate to a bunch of New York City people, but I do. I think I relate to their friendships more than anything. I was thinking this week about an incident in college that was a total Friends moment.

First off, you have to understand the dynamics of my college friends. Although I had a lot of friends, my closest group of friends were The Animal House Boys. The Boys were 5 or 6 ag college guys, most of whom were on the judging team, all of whom I love to death.

I lived with College Roomie in an apartment right next to campus. The Boys lived at Animal House just outside of town. As much time as we spent together, we might as well have all just gotten one huge house and lived together. Our doors were never locked--just like on Friends. It was not uncommon for me to come home from work or class and find one of The Boys crashed out on the couch, watching tv, or rummaging through the fridge between classes. Likewise, no one ever thought twice about walking into Animal House and finding me there. It was like one, big happy family....like Friends.

So one Wednesday night, College Roomie and I made dinner, accidentally boiled over some pasta (honestly not an uncommon occurrance....we frequently set off the smoke alarm while cooking), ate and rushed out the door to church. We got back from church, walked into the apartment and smack into a horrible smell of gas. Turns out, when we boiled over the pasta, it put out the pilot light, but we didn't turn off the gas stove. So we're freaking out thinking we might explode. I remember screams of "Don't light a candle!" "Don't turn on the light!" "I'm getting dizzy" being thrown around. In the crisis, we made a plan.

We changed into our pjs, opened all the windows, locked the door (becuase this made TOTAL sense), grabbed our blankets and pillows off oru beds, and loaded up in the car. Destination: Animal House. I'm sure we were a sight to see, coming walking up in pjs, all stressed out, lugging our bedding.

We opened the front door at Animal House. One of The Boys was on the couch, another on the loveseat. I said, "We have to stay here tonight." Without missing a beat or asking a question, The Boy on the couch scooted over and patted the seat next to him. The Boy on the loveseat went into the kitchen to get us something to drink. That was the end of the discussion.

So, Friends fans, do you know the episode this reminded me of? The time Phoebe caught her apartment on fire with the candles (but blamed Rachel's straightener) and they moved in with Monica and Joey. There was really no discussion, just friends who needed a place to stay. That's how Friends was for Rachel and Phoebe, and that's how Animal House and The Boys was for College Romie and me.

That's real friendship. When you almost blow up your house and need a place to stay, no one asks questions. They just scoot over and get you a drink.

May Updates

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” ~Ashley Smith

The month of May was pretty insane for me. I checked off three (probably a record for one month!) bucket list items, took two awesome trips, and got to spend time with a lot of really great friends. Here are just a few updates from blogs past.

Bull Semen Ordered! I think it might have been everyone's favorite blog....Bull Semen and Bonding. Well, the time has come to make our decisions and order our semen. After a lot of deliberation and studying and strategizing.....we've finished. Dad bought Ali 2. We had this great plan to surprise my dad for Father's Day with Indian Outlaw semen, but the stubborn old man wouldn't let us talk him out of buying it himself! So that idea is shot! I bought Bojo. Denton is getting some from a friend in Texas. So we should be set. Let the games begin!

Dumping The Girl Friends Started a Firestorm! Well I didn't expect to start a controversial discussion on my blog page, but I have to admit I loved it! I want to write more pieces that get this type of conversation flowing. In case you missed the drama, read the post and subsequent comments. Anonymous had a difference of opinion, which started the conversaton off. I wasn't surprised to see Laura chime in on my side--I know she's gone through similar situations with the boys in her life. I felt like Kristin's input was extremely valuable, becuase she is a wife and has a perspective that Laura and I can't offer. Please feel free to add in your two cents--I do LOVE blog comments!

Miss Independent Continued! So you remember my blog about fixing the dryer (which caused quite a bit of trash talking on facebook between my two favorite cousins!) a couple weeks ago. Well, my independent girl streak continued when I built a new chair and ottoman. I had to haul all the stuff up from the car myself, put it together myself, and move it to the correct location myself. And you know what? I did it. And it's awesome. Here are pictures of my two projects.

Quote of the Month! You've read a lot about my Oklahoma Girls in the past. They are constantly coming up with the funniest quotes ever. This month, I'll crown one of the Oklahoma Girls as having the quote of the month.

"Did you hear about the tornado in Stillwater last night....don't worry, I checked and the Penny is okay."

For those of you who may not know, the Penny was our college bar. Classic.

I'll be back with another update at the end of June....so if you can think of any prior blogs you'd like to read some follow up on...let me know!

Happiness Project Month 1: Increasing Energy

“Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

First month of the Happiness Project down. (Quick side note--the author of the book, herself, commented on my first post! This was so one of the most exciting things to happen in my blogging experience.)

The goal of the first month is to improve my energy level. The author of the book set four goals: to sleep more; to exercise more; to clear out clutter; and to act energetic. So, because I'm pretty good about sleeping and exercising, and I'm not sure how much I believe the "act how you want to feel" mantra, I improvised a little.

I identified three goals: napping, cleaning and clearing out clutter.


1. Napping: I love to take a nap. Seriously, I'd rather get up early and be able to sleep for an hour in the afternoon. I blame my Gran for this--you read about her recently--she took a nap every afternoon when I was growing up and I thought it was really cool! Since I have a job where I'm crazy busy (and bill by the hour!) napping during the week is not an option. So, instead, I decided that I'd include time for one nap every weekend. So far, it's worked out well and I do think it improves my mood.

2. Cleaning: So I'm a very organized person, but I tend to let cleaning slide a bit. It just seems to take so much time and energy to dust and mop and vaacum (is it two a's or two u's in that word? or two c's? I don't know) and clean the shower. For a while now I've just felt sort of overwhelmed and like I spent too much of my weekend doing this stuff. I knew a couple of people who I went to law school with or work with who hired someone to clean for them once every other week or so. I felt really guilty about this--who did I think I was that I was too good to do my own cleaning? Yea....then I asked around and realzied EVERYONE I work with and a ton of other young lawyers I know have one. I invested. Pretty sure when I walked in after she was done and my house smelled like heaven, it was well worth the money! Happy---check!


3. Clearing out clutter: This has been AMAZING for me! Like I said, I'm very organized. If you came into my house, things would pretty much be put away where they belong and I could tell you where they were. I am, however, also somewhat of a packrat. I blame my Gran for this as well. She grew up in the depression and saved everything. When she died and we cleaned out the kitchen, I bet she had a million canning jars and those plastic bags you put fruit in at the grocery store. She had medicine that expired ten years earlier and a case full of fake teeth. Apparently, she rubbed off on me.

Well, the author of the book had a couple rules. If you save something because you "might need to use it later" you need to throw it away. And if you save something for purely sentimental reasons, throw it away. (There are exceptions of course---pictures, family heirloom jewelery, etc.) The last rule College Roomie and I developed....."Free clutter is still clutter."

So I started out in my office area. I threw away 7 bags full of stuff one weekend. Old cases I printed out for law school my first year. Old books, folders, magazines. I moved a shelf of plastic drawers from the bathroom to the office and found medicine that expired when I was still in high school and lotion I remember buying in the 8th grade. I found a sample size cologne that was the kind First Valentine wore....which indicates this has been around since circa 6th grade. Yea. It was amazing. I so should have done a before picture, but here's an after.

Then I moved to my laundry room, which was full of boxes and junk and totally a mess. I moved in some shelves, discovered that my dryer was jacked up (you read about that earlier) and threw out 5 more loads of stuff. Again, no before picture, but here's an after.
The latest project was the garage. While it wasn't a terrible mess, it needed some cleaning out done. My friend who lived here before me planned her whole wedding and kept everything in her garage, so it needed some sweeping away of bits of wedding decor. And I saved my moving boxes which needed to be broken down and neatly put away. Now it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.
Those were my three big goals for cleaning out clutter, but I liked it so much, I expanded into my pantry and closets.
Anyway, so far the Happiness Project has been great. I do feel happier and more productive.
Stay tuned for next month.....the author worked on her marriage the second month. I don't have one of those, so instead I've got a totally different idea, and let me assure you, I'm excited!