Sunday, September 30, 2007

 
I will readily admit that my hero today is Tony Romo, and my elation over the Cowboys start to this NFL season cannot be eclipsed by anything, even an amazing NFL record. But I'll have to say that Brett Favre's record-setting today is cool.

Favre is from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which is downright funny in a way: his reputation as a gritty, frozen tundra sort of quarterback doesn't mesh well with the fact that he grew up on the beach. Nonetheless, you see a lot of Packers stuff down here, along with a lot of Turan-Foley car commercials, for which he is the spokesman. Favre is the local boy done good, and he has now done good-er than any other quarterback in NFL history.

The former Hancock High and Southern Miss star passed legend Dan Marino today and became the quarterback with the most touchdown passes in the history of professional football. Pretty good for a Mississippi boy.

In fact, for all the Mississippi-haters out there, when you think about the three high-profile skill positions in football, an argument can be made that a Mississippi boy is the best at each: Favre at quarterback, Jerry Rice at wide receiver, and Walter Payton at running back.

I'm just saying, we'll take on the team from your state. :-)

Saturday, September 29, 2007

 
Quite a sports weekend...

So far, four of the top ten college football teams have been beaten this weekend, with two more (USC and Florida) in a fight as I write. The biggest to fall so far has been #3, Oklahoma.

The baseball pennant race in the National League is going down to the final day, too, with two of the four positions up for grabs. So far, the Cubs and Diamondbacks are in, but the Phillies, Mets, Padres, and Rockies are still trying to see who will move on.

And Week 4 of professional football tomorrow!

What a weekend for a sports fan!

Friday, September 28, 2007

 
It's been a weird day, which is about the best I can say about it. I think it has been an important day, in some strange ways.

Anyway, tonight I just thought I'd share the picture of myself and Latan Griffin in front of the Ocean Springs Church of Christ that was published in Habitat World and sent to millions of places all over the world. HERE is the article, too, if you're interested in reading.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

 
It has been a very enjoyable day:

* It began with breakfast at the Bayview Gourmet with my friend, Bruno, and two Episcopalian priests, Wayne Ray and Harold Roberts.

* It continued with my weekly meeting with my youth minister, Trent.

* It continued with chaperoning my daughter's field trip to the library. While there, I met with Nicole Grundel, a fellow board member with Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and we had a wonderful visit. We did more catching up than work, but that was worth it anyway.

* It continued afterwards with taking Hillary to the Ocean Springs Homecoming Parade. All of us hear in Mardi Gras country know how to have a parade, as the picture above demonstrates. Hillary came home with LOTS of beads, candy, and toys!

* It continued after that with a lengthy telephone conversation with my friend, Michael Lasley, who teaches at Pepperdine. It was really good to talk to him again.

* It concluded with dinner and football at Tracy & Shanna Havard's house tonight. They also invited two other sets of family friends, the Bosarges and the Ruffins. Southern Miss was getting kicked, but the food and friendship was fun.

Lots of neat people in my life today... Really good stuff...

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

 
I received my very first CASA case this week. Confidentiality laws (and a lick of common sense) means that I cannot give any details, but suffice it to say that it is sad what many children face in this world of ours. Children who live in our backyards. I hope to make a difference.

I'm not a big TV promoter either, but for those of you who like watching CSI, word is that the season premier tomorrow evening will have CASA ads and PSA's sprinkled in throughout the show. I may not get to see it since my family has been invited over to a friend's house to watch Southern Miss play football, so you'll have to report in here if you see any of the ads!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

 
Two of my most well-read friends swear by the book, Love in the Time of Cholera, so I checked it out of the Ocean Springs Library recently, and I finished it tonight.

On the one hand, my prudish self blushed a LOT at all the sex stuff in this love story, but on the other, it was a masterfully written novel that weaves an unforgettable story of the unbelievable potential for forever love. Once captured by Marquez's masterpiece, I am assuming that one will never forget Florentino Ariza's love for Fermina Daza.

I noticed online that there is a movie in production based on this novel, but it looked like it might be a foreign movie that would doubtfully make it to South Mississippi. But if it does, I'll have to check it out.

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By the way, for those scoring at home, my attempts at drastically cuttting down my time on the computer is off to a good start these first two days. I mean, there was some sweating and the munchies, but I'm thinking I'll just take up smoking and I'll be okay. :-)

Monday, September 24, 2007

 
Okay, I may not be as successful as Paris and Nicole in achieving The Simple Life, but today’s a big day for me because I’m going to go for it anyway.

From studying Jesus in an attempt to follow after him, I’m well aware that I need to change a LOT of things. One of those things stems from my discovery that Jesus wasn’t busy. You’d think Jesus would have had a rather full agenda, but instead he always seemed to have time for people. I don’t always have time for people because I have “too many things to do.”

Which means I have too many things to do.

And I’ve got to change that…

One of the things I am going to do is spend less time on a computer.

As for now, I still plan to post something every day on this blog, but my plan is to do it after my daughter’s bedtime when I check my email and write in my new “people” journal. That’s right, I’m planning to check my email ONCE a day!!! (John Dobbs just fainted.)

We’ll see how this goes. My life is a work in progress, so this change is definitely a work in progress, too.

But I’m serious.

So, first of all, expect my blog entries to come at night starting tomorrow, and secondly, don’t expect me to answer emails and blog comments nearly as frequently as before.

This is my new reality show: The Simple(r) Life.

Wish me luck.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

 
Thankfully, I missed the Arkansas/Kentucky game for a party at church last night. Patrice put together a party for our Forty-Something Class. There were twelve of us there, and we had pizza, chips & homemade dip, and chocolate cake & chocolate chip cookies to eat, and lots of choices of board games to play.

We began with the 20th anniversary of Pictionary, and even after twenty years I still stink at that game. We played men vs. women, and the women won easily.

We then played Family Feud, and the male species found their revenge. At a crucial point in the game, we chose to pass instead of play on the "8 things that you think of when you think of Zorro" question, and that clinched the victory!

Finally, we played the Newlywed Game, and after a really poor performance for the biggest part of the game, my wife and made an impressive comeback and won on the very last bonus question! We've still got it, baby!!!!

But what a great night. Lots and lots and lots of laughing and fun with friends. Contrary to the beer commercial, I say it just doesn't get any better than that...

Saturday, September 22, 2007

 
Yesterday was a good day all around. Sure, I hate mowing, but I do love it when its done. I went with my wife and daughter to watch some Jaguar Volleyball last night, and even though they lost, they played great and we had a blast. Then, to top it off, the little tropical system in the Gulf fizzled out and I don't even think it has rained here yet.

This morning, I'd like to do a little advertising.

My friend, Holly, sent me a Facebook message asking me to spread the word on my blog about a concert in Paragould, Arkansas, on October 27. Many of you will remember my writing about Willie Sandlin (pictured above) when he won the battle of life in early July. Well, there is a "Horizon Alumni Concert" scheduled at Crowley's Ridge Academy on October 27, with the proceeds from the concert going to the Sandlin family.

I graduated from and later taught at Crowley's Ridge Academy, and Horizon is a group formed years ago now by Mrs. Debbie Stokes that is dedicated to musical performance. A lot of talented folks have passed through her program, and when word came that she had cancer last year, they put together an alumni concert just for her. This year, she is doing so much better (yea!!!), so this year's concert has two goals: (1) to make Mrs. Stokes smile again, and (2) to provide much-needed financial assistance to the Sandlin family.

I won't be able to attend, but if anyone is in the Northeast Arkansas area, I would highly encourage you to attend.

Holly was very excited that my good friend, Jon Conley (a Horizon alumni himself), will be performing at the concert! Jon is our local celebrity, having played lead guitar for the likes of Wynonna Judd, Lee Greenwood, and Leann Rimes in his years in Nashville.

Sounds like a lot of fun...

Friday, September 21, 2007

 
I plan to mow my yard this morning. I hate mowing my yard on any morning.

I had planned to mow it tomorrow morning, but I made the mistake of checking out the weather. The little storm creeping across the Gulf looks as if it will translate into some stormy weather tonight and tomorrow for our area, so if the yard will get mowed this weekend, it will have to be this morning. And it sure needs mowing.

The tropical weather / yard-mowing combination brings to mind a humorous anectdote from Katrina. My good friend, Herman, and I have had lots of entertaining conversations over the years, many of them in the days after Katrina. We lived in the same neighborhood, and both of us had six feet of water in our houses. For extra fun, I had a huge tree on my house, and Herman lost all of his automobiles.

Anyway...

I remember sitting at the church building one day when a thought came to mind and I told Herman, "I just thought of something really depressing."

"What?" he replied.

"I mowed my yard just before Katrina."

Herman laughed, then said, "I've got you beat. I filled my truck up with gas."

Thursday, September 20, 2007

 
I'm having a lot of deep thoughts myself right now, although a bit unlike Mr. Handey's deep thinking as exhibited above. None of my deep thinking is bloggable just yet, however. Some mental journeys are best taken alone.

I did tell my friend, Trent, while in Memphis, that I've been in sort of a funk lately. He said that it seems like everyone he's been talking to lately has said the same thing. Maybe there's something in the weather.

Whatever it is, I'm mostly just checking in today - doing my bit to maintain my spiritual discipline of blogging. But it isn't because there isn't anything significant to report. There just isn't anything significant to report out loud.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

 
After four straight days away, I'm searching for an up side to getting back to work today. The best I can come up with is the fact that I don't have to drive hundreds of miles today, like I've done for each of the past four days.

Prepping for Sunday, and studying for Peak of the Week tonight are the highlights on today's agenda.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

 
Quick update on my trip to Memphis:

#1: I stopped briefly (seriously, ten minutes) to see the Kelley family pictured above on the way in last night. I called John as I passed through, and after talking to him (though I didn't REALLY have the time!), I just couldn't help stopping to see their new, precious addition, Alivia. Though she fussed for the picture, it was such an honor to hold her for a minute. John, Jinger, Alicia, and Alivia are family to us, and more special than they will ever understand.

#2: I made it to my friend, Trent's, apartment at 7pm. Trent is a very special friend as well, and I hadn't seen him in probably a decade (though we've communicated a lot via email and in blog land). We started talking at 7pm, made a trip to Huey's to eat their world famous hamburgers while we kept talking, and decided to shut down the conversation at 12:30am this morning (although we could have gone all night long talking). We talked about some deep stuff, we watched some football, and we laughed at hilarious old memories. Just like old times, in other words.

#3: I went to sleep on Trent's couch at 12:30am with the alarm set at 5am. I actually woke up before the alarm sounded. I showered and drove to Baptist Memorial East for my niece's surgery at 5:30am. I got to see Jessica before she went back for the surgery just after 7am. They began the surgery at 7:50am, expecting it to take 4 or 5 hours, but when they got inside they discovered a much better situation than expected!!! The surgery only lasted two hours, and instead of getting into the gory details, suffice it to say that everyone was pleasantly surprised with the outcome! Jessica will still end up staying in the hospital for a week or so, and this was her 5th major surgery at only 24 years old, so things aren't perfect by any stretch. But there is a big sigh of relief rising from my family this evening.

I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers and concerns.

Monday, September 17, 2007

 
I hope folks read my blog entry from yesterday. I was seriously floored by the graciousness of the folks I met in Tuscaloosa.

And by the way, the pictures I took are all better than what you saw in the cramped slideshow from yesterday’s blog. Instead, go to my “webshots page” link on the left of this page, click on the Arkansas/Alabama game folder, then click slideshow (it doesn’t cut off the edges). Some of them are print-worthy or good for your desktop displays. Feel free to download and/or pass around.

I have another big day today. I’m headed to Memphis tonight so I can be with my family early Tuesday for a major surgery my niece, Jessica, is facing. Please pray for her.

I don’t plan to blog again until late Tuesday evening.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

 


Arkansas vs Alabama at Tuscaloosa


Today just happens to be my 37th birthday, and I’ve had a terrific one. The trip to Tuscaloosa yesterday was just great, in so many ways…

* The drive from Ocean Springs to Tuscaloosa is an easy one with easy traffic
* My friend, Shannon, had us a great parking place at the house of a friend of his, a super neat guy who has run for mayor of Tuscaloosa before… He was a gracious host, and he has some of the coolest Alabama football memorabilia decorating his house.
* The weather was perfect, though a little hot wandering around campus yesterday afternoon, but I’d be a sad person to complain about yesterday’s weather.
* We had a quick lunch at Quizno’s before wandering all over campus: we toured the Bear Bryant Museum, wandered around the Quad, and then stopped by the President’s Mansion (which was only open for private guests, but a young representative from the University of Alabama took the time to give us a full rendition of the mansion’s amazing history!)
* We got into Bryant-Denny Stadium super early, and Hillary was glued next to the fence where the cheerleaders were warming up. Her two biggest desires before the game were to get a Razorback pom-pom and one of the little hog stickers for her face. It took two seconds at the fence before the cheerleader sponsor gave her both unprompted.
* And then there was the game. I’m sure some Alabama fans will call it THE game for a while now. It was an awesome game, even if my team did end up on the short end at the game’s conclusion. In spite of the way it began, it turned out to be very entertaining.

But much to the chagrin of many of my friends, and much to the delight of a few others, I’ve got to say something: Jody, Hillary, and I had the best time meeting Alabama fans.

#1: It began of course, with Shannon’s friend, Mark, who was so gracious to us.

#2: It continued at the fence before the game when Hillary and I met one of the girlfriends of an Alabama player. It was her boyfriend’s first time to dress out with the team, and we had the best time helping her find him among the players and talking to her. She didn’t care that we were for Arkansas. She was simply a nice person.

#3: It continued at our seats, completely surrounded by Alabama fans. We instantly made friends with the guy sitting next to us, and by the time the game was over, everyone was congratulating us on a great game as we did the same in return. I’m serious: it was like we were among family.

#4: It also happened at halftime, while I stood in a super-long line for a hot dog and soda. The lady in front of me was an Alabama fan, and in the pressing crowd it seemed that everyone that needed through asked to walk in front of her. We had the best time during the fourteen-hour wait laughing about her invisible sign asking people to cut in front of her. She was a lot of fun.

#5: On the way out of the stadium after the game, stuck between tons of joyous Alabama fans, one couple struck up a friendly conversation, complimenting out team, and just being good people.

#6: And then outside the stadium, as we walked through the throng of fans yelling ROLL TIDE (much to Hillary’s dismay!), a young representative of the university approached us and asked if we had enjoyed our stay at the game. I’m serious!!! We assured him that we had, and he made it clear that they had every intention that we enjoyed our visit to Tuscaloosa, and I hope I made it clear that we did.

I’ve heard lots of people say that they have two favorite teams: (1) their favorite team, and (2) whoever is playing Alabama.

Well, after the way we were treated in enemy territory, I think I lost my interest in that second favorite team.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

 
I had the pleasure of taking this picture of Darren McFadden (#5) and the Arkansas Razorbacks last year in an early season game at Auburn. At the time, Auburn was ranked among the best in the nation, and Arkansas wasn't. I went without a ticket, found one outside next to the Arkansas section, and had the best time at a sporting event in my life as McFadden made a name for himself and the Razorbacks whipped the War Eagles.

I can't really hope for a complete repeat performance today, but maybe it can come close.

My family is headed to Tuscaloosa today (without tickets) to watch the Hogs battle the Crimson Tide at 5:45pm on ESPN tonight. The weather is expected to be perfect. It will be the first big home game for Nick Saban in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Our good friend, Shannon, has hooked us up with a great parking place. I am SO excited about today!

I graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1992, and my last roommate there is one of my favorite people ever (Jon Wood). Jon was finishing law school when I was finishing my undergrad degree, and he came to law school after doing graduate work at the University of Alabama. He was a HUGE sports fan, too, and I've never forgotten him saying that I had to go to a football game in Tuscaloosa at least once in my life.

That 15-year-old desire is scheduled for today.

GO HOGS GO!!!!

(Expect a report tomorrow night!)

Friday, September 14, 2007

 
A storm rolled through just as I arrived with my daughter last night to her elementary school’s Open House, and though it put a literal damper on the evening, it still turned out to be fun. Hillary goes to a good public school, with excellent teachers, populated by lots of cool kids from neat, diverse families.

I have lived in Ocean Springs for close to nine years now. I am not an extrovert by any stretch, but I do get involved in things that allow me to form relationships with folks, so after nine years I do feel like I know quite a few people in this community. I enjoy noticing on nights like last night that I am a part of a community.

Someday it might hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks, but so far I have enjoyed watching both of my daughters grow up. I have enjoyed each passing phase instead of getting weepy over the fact that they aren’t little girls anymore.

But they are definitely both growing up. Twenty years old, and ten years old sure aren’t babies. I could tell last night at Open House that my “baby” stands on the brink of adolescence. Life will be changing dramatically, and soon.





Thursday, September 13, 2007

 
I've been looking forward to today. If nothing explodes in the next few hours, I plan to take the short drive to Mobile, Alabama, for lunch with three of my preacher friends. All three of these guys are friends of one another from way back, but they've graciously allowed me into their circle on days like today, and for that I am thankful.

I'm a bit concerned that we're eating lunch at Bob Baumhower's restaurant, seeing as how he's an Alabama boy, and my Razorbacks are battling the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa this Saturday. I don't think this qualifies as an act of betrayal on my part, though. :-)

My three preacher friends are bloggers, too, if you haven't visited their cyber-world already:
* John Dobbs (the king of all bloggers)
* Danny Dodd
* Les Ferguson

If you go to their blogs today, you'll read about my topic from yesterday on two of them. Both John and Danny knew various parts of the family of Heather Spencer, the young lady brutally murdered two days ago. Danny, in fact, has been asked to preach her funeral in Jackson tomorrow, so I hope today's lunch will be good timing for him as a bright spot in a dark week.

I don't know about these three jokers, but this lunch today is good timing for me.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

 
I was in a meeting yesterday afternoon at my daughter's elementary school when my cell phone silently buzzed in my pocket. When I had a chance to check it, I saw it was from Jay, but he didn't leave a message. I assumed that it wasn't important, but I was very wrong.

Jay's son-in-law, Matt, called me about an hour later to see if I had heard about Jay's niece, Heather. The tragic news was that Heather had been murdered by her boyfriend in Jackson that morning.

I didn't know Heather personally, just her family. I was called to pass along the call to prayer to our church family and the world via email, which I did. It turns out that several of my preacher buddies have ministered to various parts of this family over the years, and what I've heard repeatedly is that Heather was a beautiful and kind girl. She was 28 years old.

The newspaper in Jackson covered the story yesterday, and it is their lead story this morning. Yesterday's reports offered the horrible description, "bludgeoned to death," as the cause of death. There was a lengthy standoff at a gas station. It seems that the murderer had his mom in the car with him - and a gun - and was threatening to kill himself. Eventually, the SWAT team and their negotiators talked him into surrendering.

What do you say to tragedies such as this? Nothing constructive. Bemoaning the state of the world doesn't get us anywhere, nor does putting on a false, happy face. And saying how sorry we feel doesn't seem to go very far either. We pray, mostly because that's all we know to do.

But maybe the best offering we can make today is the powerful, reverent gift of silence. Sometimes being speechless is the most appropriate response of all.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

 
Today is September 11.

It doesn't seem like six years has gone by, though I couldn't tell you what it seems like instead. It remains one of those landmark days, but for those of us not personally affected by the loss of a loved one, it is possible for the date to sneak up without our realizing it. It sneaked up on me.

I still see lots of bumper stickers claiming that we will never forget, and overall, we won't. Both the ghastly and heroic images combine to form a solitary image, seared in our memories, labeled 9-11. My youngest daughter doesn't remember that day. She was four years old. But a whole lot of us remember, and always will.

So much as changed since those attacks - wars, public policy, the airline industry, even our national vocabulary. Then again, so much hasn't - our materialism, apathy, lifestyle...

My daughter just came in to give me a morning hug. Her oversized nightshirt, still on early this Tuesday, is an I LOVE NEW YORK shirt with the big heart there to represent the word, love.

An appropriate shirt this morning, I'm sure, on this day to remember...

Monday, September 10, 2007

 
The last time the Cowboys played the Giants in Texas Stadium...
* Bill Parcells was coaching the Cowboys
* Drew Bledsoe started at quarterback
* T.O. couldn't hold on to the football
* The Giants won easily
* I was there with my longtime buddy, David Watson

Everything was different last night...
* Wade Phillips got off to a good start as head coach
* Tony Romo looked like an MVP
* T.O. scored two TD's, including a spectacular catch
* The Cowboys rolled
* David and I weren't there, but I guarantee you we both were watching!

Sunday, September 09, 2007

 
I mowed the yard yesterday, something I have always hated doing for some reason, and afterwards, my physical exhaustion combined perfectly with the fact that it was a good day to watch college football.

I waited patiently while Jody watched America's Next Top Model, and then being the wonderful wife she is, unprompted, she turned it over to Fox for Major League Baseball. I waited a sufficient amount of time to notice that she did this just for me (read: she wasn't watching it at all), then I asked for the remote control. This is when she made the fateful decision to grant me the remote, and from that point on it was college football.

I enjoyed greatly the entirety of the Oregon/Michigan game. The Michigan disaster of a season is simply amazing. Then, I employed my rather impressive remote control skills, flipping skillfully back and forth between several games: Notre Dame/Penn State, South Carolina/Georgia, and Texas/TCU. When these games finished, I moved right into LSU/Virginia Tech and Auburn/South Florida.

I did stop long enough to eat supper and go to the bathroom, but that was about it...

I don't know that it's good to spend the bulk of an entire day watching college football, but it sure felt good yesterday.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

 
Yesterday was an all-around good day...

Around lunchtime I went to a Habitat house dedication in D'Iberville. In the picture above, you see Trang-Pham Bui (no relation to David) from WLOX interview Lisa about her new house. Fellow board member, Delmar Robinson, emceed the dedication, and he was kind enough to ask me to offer the invocation. In the picture, you see Lisa clutching the Bible and keys that Delmar presented to her during the ceremony.

Afterwards, I met up with Reverend Wayne Ray down at St. John's Episcopal Church to add a picture to my Ocean Springs photo-project. I've wanted to include St. John's. It's the oldest church building in town, and its architecture is simply beautiful. I thought I ended up with a good picture (which you can see HERE). It was extra neat because Wayne is such a wonderful, humble person, and it is always a pleasure to spend time with him.

Next, I picked up Hillary from school, and as is our Friday tradition, we went in search of a treat. We were headed to Caboose Cones, one of our favorites, when Hillary noticed the Tato-Nut Shop was open, so we stopped there instead. Hillary got a chocolate-covered donut, and I had a blueberry cake donut (my favorite!), and we enjoyed some time together. While there, our friend, Hollie, dropped in, too. Hollie is a freshman at South Alabama in Mobile this year, but she works in Ocean Springs on the weekends. It was good to see her and get a hug.

Then, last evening, I went to the Ocean Springs football game by myself. I wasn't by myself for long. I saw some fellow preacher friends from Ocean Springs, several neighbors, and ended up sitting with several friends from my church family. Ocean Springs won 42-0 on a hot, humid night. I was able to take a bunch of pictures, too, from which I'm planning to add one to my Ocean Springs photo-project this morning.

Friday, September 07, 2007

 
Well, the Saints game was downright ugly last night, no doubt about it. Saints fans can hope that it was just an eye-opener for the team and will serve as a motivational tool, but I'm not so sure. They were playing the Super Bowl champions on their home turf on the night they celebrated last season's championship, but still, the Saints didn't look anything like their preseason predictions (Sports Illustrated has them winning the Super Bowl this year).

* For one, their defense is the question mark going into the season, and though they looked decent in the first half (scoring their only touchdown), they looked absolutely horrible in the second half. The only thing worse than their run defense was their pass defense. Well, there was one thing worse than both...

* There was the offense, which experts say is their strong suit. They put up three points last night. In a game against an untested Colts defense, they looked absolutely horrible. Reggie Bush had troubles reading blocks all night long, but the biggest disappointment was quarterback, Drew Brees, who had an awful night. While I was doing a little research for my fantasy football drafts, I kept hearing people put Brees in the same class as Peyton Manning, a thought I found rather silly. Brees had some good times in San Diego, then one good season with the Saints last year. He remains a long ways from being mentioned in the same class as Peyton Manning, a fact made obvious last night.

Who knows, maybe the Saints will rebound and go 15 and 1 this year now?

Sure didn't look like it last night...

Thursday, September 06, 2007

 

As much as I like baseball, I don’t guess I have ever had a favorite minor league player. Until this morning, that is.

My friend, Terry Austin, sent me a link to a diary written by a baseball nobody named Dirk Hayhurst, but after reading his entry, he isn’t a nobody to me. He is a writer, and a noble soul.

It doesn’t matter if you like baseball or not. If you are a human being with a heart, read THIS, and you’ll be better for it.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

 
I've been receiving the Habitat World magazine for about ten years now, ever since I first became involved with Habitat for Humanity. With postage rates increasing over that time, along with improvements in technology, the magazine has changed its size and appearance, but it still has a circulation of 1.3 million in over 90 countries around the world.

Latan Griffin (one of my fellow board members) and I were contacted a few months ago and asked to meet one of the writers for the magazine and a photographer for an interview/photo shoot, and we had an enjoyable time telling our Katrina story and having lots of pictures made.

I had sort of forgotten about it until I went to the mailbox yesterday and found my quarterly edition of Habitat World inside. It didn't take me long to remember that we "might" be in there, and it turned out we were in a huge article titled, "Going the Distance in the Gulf."

There was a fairly large picture that was good - I had a huge smile on my face while Latan is telling a story demonstratively with his hands, and my church building is faded beautifully in the background. A significant chunk of the story was about us, and it was good - I was only misquoted once (nothing bad, just a quote that should have been attributed to Latan).

I guess for folks who blog, the thought that untold numbers of people all over the world might be looking at your picture and reading your story shouldn't feel weird. But it sort of does anyway!

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

 
I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday yesterday. I'm sure, here at 6:30am, a lot of people aren't enjoying getting up and back into their routine, but at least it will be a short(er) week because of Labor Day.

Ironically, both because it was Labor Day and because preachers reportedly only work one day a week, I put in a full day's work yesterday, capped off by a long meeting with my elders last night. Jody had work of her own to do around the house, Erica is off at college, and Hillary was at a friend's house, so I went to the office and then went visiting at the nursing home and hospital yesterday.

My job is weird in that I have certain things that need to get done each week no matter what, so if I took yesterday off completely, then any hopes of a regular day off at week's end would be out the window.

I'm not complaining at all. In fact, yesterday was nice. Since everyone else was off from work and school and relaxing, it made for a quiet day where I could get a lot done.

But I suspect today will be different. :-)

Monday, September 03, 2007

 

I just noticed that I started this blog one year ago today, and I think I've only missed two or three days of blogging over that time period. A lot happens in a year, it seems. Well, a lot happens every single day.

We stayed after our evening devotional last night to say our good-byes to the Stone family. We did it with cookies, brownies, cake and ice cream, which is always a nice way to do pretty much anything.

The Stone family has been very special to the Sturgeon family, and will remain so, of course, even though it came time for the United States Coast Guard to relocate their family to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. They have had an eventful stay on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including a hurricane named Katrina, and I hope that their next stop will be a lot calmer than this one.

But we’ve enjoyed immensely the chance to become friends.

Marion and I are practically the same age, and combining that with a similar spiritual outlook and a common love of sports, we have never had a problem finding things to talk about! Marvel has been my secretary, and words cannot describe how wonderful she has been in that role – efficiency, talent, and friendliness all combined in just a perfect way. Amanda even looks like our Hillary’s older sister, and they’ve had lots of fun, ranging from spending the night at our house to hanging out at the church building together on school breaks. And Rebekah – everyone falls in love with Rebekah.

Life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast brings the opportunity to get to know lots and lots of interesting folks through various branches of the United States military (Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard primarily), and for that I am thankful. But this also means it brings lots of opportunities to say good-bye to good friends, and for that I am often sad.

Like today. Thankful, and sad.

And hopeful that the Stone family has a safe move today, and a happy life in their next stop.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

 
The first day of September was quite a sports day!

* Boston Red Sox rookie, Clay Bucholz, pitched a no-hitter in Fenway Park in only his second big league game ever! He became the first Red Sox rookie ever to pitch a no-hitter, and only the third player in major league history to pitch a no-hitter in either his first or second start.

* In possibly the biggest college football upset of all time, tiny Appalachian State went to the Big House at Ann Arbor and took down the fifth-ranked, University of Michigan, on their home turf! What an exciting game and finish!

* My Cardinals won again to stay within two games of first place, and the unbelievable story of Rick Ankiel just keeps going…

* My Razorbacks won their opening game, and the running back tandem of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones got off to a great start.

* My oldest daughter’s Southern Miss Golden Eagles got off to a great start, too, with a whipping of East Carolina at The Rock in Hattiesburg.

* And in truly the best news of the day, our friends from church, Shannon and Jessica Lawler, delivered their third child yesterday (it’s a girl!). What’s that got to do with sports? Well, Shannon is the biggest Alabama fan I’ve ever met, and his newest addition arrived on the day the Nick Saban era began in Tuscaloosa!

But my family had a pretty neat sports experience of our own last night. We became University of South Alabama Jaguar Volleyball fans last year, late in their season. Not a ton of folks come out for their games, but that fact made it possible for Hillary to meet the players last year, and they were very sweet to her (autographs, touring the locker room, and all). Last night was their home opener, and my wife and I took Hillary over to watch the Lady Jags play Alabama State.

The Lady Jags have six returning players from last year (three impressive hitters in Lauren, Jenna, and Brittany, and three excellent defensive specialists in Shannon, Taylor, and Colleen), and they’ve added eight excellent players this year (highlighted by an awesome hitter/setter tandem from Bulgaria, Hristina and Maria, and a great hitter from Brazil, Juliana). They defeated Alabama State handily, in three straight, to go to two and one so far this season.

After the match, we went down by their locker room to wait for the ladies to come out so Hillary could get autographs from this season’s team. Right after we arrived, the coach came out of the locker room. Several people were milling around, but she looked over at me, and with a big smile came over to shake my hand and introduce herself.

Now at this point, I’m a little embarrassed because I’ve never met her (emailed her once last year to thank her team for how they treated Hillary), and I’m just convinced that she thinks I’m someone else.

But, no. She thanked us for coming and said the girls remembered us from last year! This was especially cool because there was an uncharacteristically large crowd last night, and they both noticed and remembered us!

Coach Keshock turned to Hillary and asked her if she wanted to go back to the locker room and get all the girls autographs. Hillary’s face lit up and she said she did, and Coach took her back to introduce her to the team. (My wife’s favorite part was when Coach told the other older girls hanging around outside the locker room that the team would be right out while she was taking Hillary back there!)

Hillary told us later that when she made it back to the locker room, Coach Nicole introduced her as possibly their biggest fan. She emerged with a poster full of autographs, and more important, another very special memory.

Go Jags!!!!!!!

Saturday, September 01, 2007

 
#1: Added the pic above to my Ocean Springs photo-project. Pleasant's Open Pit Bar-B-Q, adjacent to Pleasant's Tire Service, is a local legend in Ocean Springs, but I had never eaten there until yesterday's lunch. This has totally been my loss. I'll be back, partly because the food is awesome, and partly because Michael Pleasant and his family owned and operated business is my kind of place.

#2: I also did a photo-shoot in Marshall Park with Melanie Allen, the president of the Historic Ocean Springs Association. I had a wonderful time visiting with her and came up with some great pictures. I'll add one to my project once she emails me some historical information about Marshall Park.

#3: The tragic news story from yesterday seemed even more tragic when we learned that the baby wasn't discovered until 4pm or so Friday afternoon. She had been inside a black SUV in our oppressive Gulf Coast heat all day long. Melanie (referred to above) told me sadly that she had been to that particular bank that morning and believes she was next to the SUV. She wonders why she didn't happen to look in the windows, or hear a baby's cry.

#4: Today is Art Walk in downtown Ocean Springs, and I will go add some pictures today, too.

#5: Tonight is the first home game for the University of South Alabama Jaguar Volleyball team. As fans, my family will head over and watch the game.

#6: Ocean Springs won its opening football game last night against neighbor, St. Martin. The Greyhounds have the top player in the state of Mississippi in wide receiver, D'Andre Brown. Listen to these numbers for a high school receiver: 6'7, 220 pounds, and runs a 4.4. forty. Sheesh!

#7: The Cardinals won last night and pulled back within 2 games of the Cubs. The best part was that my new hero, Rick Ankiel, hit a grand slam!

#8: Hillary's friend, Amanda Stone, spent the night at our house last night. Our friends, the Stones, are moving to the Tampa, Florida, area this Monday. Being in a military area has great benefits (get to be friends with lots of wonderful people) and significant drawbacks (having to say good-bye so often). Hillary wanted Amanda to spend the night one more time before they moved. I can hear them having fun already this morning.

#9: My niece's surgery has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 18, in Memphis. I would appreciate any and all prayers.

#10: College football begins in earnest today!!! There is only one game that looks somewhat interesting today (Tennessee and California), but I'll be interested in my Arkansas Razorbacks opening game. They play the men of Troy (Alabama) first this year instead of the men of Troy (Southern California). I hope the outcome will be reversed this go around. The Darren McFadden watch begins today - the Razorback star is the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, which would be the first in school history if it happened. That would be cool.

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