Dear Sports

In the spring of 2019 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit and all sports just stopped existing, sports fans realized what life without sports was like.  And it was not pretty.  ESPN provided a platform for fans to write a letter to sports to express what we were feeling at the time about our relationship with sports and our thoughts while we were without it.  Many ESPN personalities and regular fans alike participated, including the hashtag #DearSports in their posts on social media.  At the time, I thought what a wonderful topic for me to write about because sports has always been a big part of my life.  Every time I started to put my feelings into words, I became overwhelmed with the prospect of putting my relationship with sports into mere words.  The following is my attempt.

Dear Sports,

Where do I begin?  You and I have been together for literally as long as I can remember.  I have loved you for all of my 5 decades on this earth.  You have given me so much joy and entertainment and have been there for me when I really needed to escape for awhile when life became too much.  You have given me a focus and a purpose and a goal.  You have provided me a connection with family, friends, and at times even perfect strangers.  

When I was young, I remember listening to late-night baseball games on a transistor radio in my bed.  Some of my best memories from when I was young are watching Sunday Night Baseball or the NCAA tournament games with my Dad.  Or listening to the Bradley University basketball games on the radio with him.  I remember watching Bulls games with my mom.  My first live major league game was at Wrigley with my dad.  My first NASCAR race with at Indy with my dad.  Sports were a way for us to connect and something for us to enjoy together.  

When I started playing sports myself, my parents were there in the stands at every single game.  They supported me and encouraged me and loved watching me play.  I still feel a sense of pride about my accomplishments on the court and a strong connection to the Maroon & Gold of my high school team.  

My husband and I have a strong sports connection.  We share a love of all things sports, whether we are pulling for the same team or not.  He proposed to me at Wrigley Field, our honeymoon was to go see a few MLB games.  We have traveled thousands of miles and spent thousands of dollars attending baseball games, basketball games, races, etc.  Our dogs Wrigley, Fenway, and Jacoby (Ellsbury) give evidence to our love and commitment to sports.  We even named our son Ryan after Nolan Ryan.  

And of course, we have passed this love of sports on to our two children.  Vacations have been to major league games.  School calendars and summers have been full of practices and games.  Hours and hours of volleyball, basketball, baseball, and soccer.  And of course we have spent countless hours together in front of the tv watching, rooting, and discussing our beloved sports.  

Sports, you have been a daily part of my life for decades .  You have been woven into every aspect of my life.  You have given me some of my highest highs--2016 Cubs, 2015 Duke Basketball, watching Mark Grace get a World Series ring in 2001, and Kyrie's shot & LeBron's come-out-of-nowhere block in the 2016 NBA Finals--and some of my lowest lows--1984 Cubs, 2003 Cubs, and JJ's Duke team losing to LSU in the tournament, ending his Duke career.  You have been with me always--on the tv or the radio and now, all over the internet on my phone.  I cannot imagine a world without you in it.  And yet--here we are.  

For the past few months I have felt this huge void in my life.  At times, I feel like I am wandering aimlessly, looking for something--for a purpose perhaps--to the hours on my evenings off work.  I have read more books to pass the time, but they are solitary endeavors and I miss the connection with my family and friends.  In the beginning of this, I enjoyed watching all the old games and retrospectives that were being broadcast.  But once those stopped, there were days I never even turned the television on.  What's the point?  I have hundreds of channels, but the one thing I want to watch isn't there.  

I heard a speaker at a graduation ceremony years ago talk about about finding something in your life that you love and feel passionately about. Find that one thing that motivates you and gives you a reason to get up on those days when you'd much rather stay in bed. Find that one thing and throw yourself into it. That is how you can be truly happy.  I realized that even on my worst days, there was always sports.  Until there wasn't.

Now, in July of 2020, we are on the cusp of you returning in earnest.  We got a small taste of you coming back when soccer started playing again.  This week and next week baseball and basketball will be back on my television.  I will be able to watch and root and discuss you again.  

It's crazy how I never even imagined that you would be taken away from me.  That just sounded absurd.  Shut down sports?  Pfft, never happen.  But then it happened.  And the whole saying about not realizing what you have until it's gone hit home in a big way.  Sports, I can't wait to see you again!  And I promise you from the bottom of my heart that I will never ever take you for granted again.  

Love,

Michele

 

Pshh, It Happens

"Life don't go quite like you planned it
We try so hard to understand it
The irrefutable, indisputable fact is
Pshh It happens"

~ Sugarland



I remember my very first sane thoughts after the disaster that struck our family.  Always going back to a baseball analogy, I thought to myself that the difference between major league baseball players and the guys who never make it to the show is their ability to deal with the curveball.  And so it is in life as well.

I did not write much after that night in 2012 when we learned that our world had been turned upside down.  There are so many reasons why.  It would have been difficult to put into words that accurately describe all the feelings I felt.  So many of the feelings I felt were not nice feelings.  I was avoiding thinking about my feelings and trying so hard to focus on staying positive for my family and keeping everyone looking forward and not back.  There was no point.  We were defeated.  Why focus on things we cannot change?  I needed to keep us focused on solving our problems and moving forward.  I could go on and on.

But mostly, I wasn't sure what to say about it.  I have spent hours wondering, thinking, and  trying to figure out why this happened to us over the years.  People and places that felt comfortable and friendly and like home, who we thought we could trust, were just gone.  We lost friends, there were rumors, and at times I felt out-of-place in a place that had always been the entire definition of "home."

After the immediate realization of the crisis and what it all meant, I felt an unusual peace.  I have been called a professional worrier in the past.  In this situation, I was the calm, reasonable, forward-focused one.  Weird, right?  Nothing other than God could have given me that peace about our future. Over the years, I have come to realize that God's hand was moving in our lives.  He forced a move, although in a bit of a painful way, that we would have never made on our own.  He made it happen whether we liked it or not.  Things got back to the way they were supposed to be all along.  The hurt and scars are still there, but we truly are better off.  I guess the whole point of this then is that when we go through difficult times in our lives, we need to trust God's process and trust that His plan is moving you to a better place physically, financially and/or spiritually.  I am reminded of Genesis 50:20 that says:  "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done..."  

Curveballs come your way in life.  They just do.  How you deal with them and Who you trust makes all the difference in how the game turns out.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

I was a few days behind with my daily devotional that I am reading this year and boy am I glad.  The family that I wrote about in my previous post, who lost their son just after the new year, has experienced another unimaginable loss.  My heart breaks when I think about all that they have faced and are now, again, having to deal with.  Again, we ask "why?"

Our pastor is currently preaching about why bad things happen to good people, and remaining strong in your faith through trials and persecution and outside influences.  He is a wonderful teaching preacher and I learn so much from his sermons.  But it was another point-of-view that really turned things around for me today when I read the devotion from a few days ago, trying to get back on track.

The title is "Take Your Best Shot" and it is about Job.  As you may or may not know, Job was allowed to be tested beyond what you or I could even imagine happening to us.  He lost everything.  E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  And yet he remained true to God and to his faith.  The core of the devotion for that day reads:

The only thing more frightening to me than 

knowing the devil is prowling around looking for people 

is the idea that God sometimes points out His guys that the 

devil may have missed! Satan never went for Job because 

he didn't think he had a shot with him, but God 

put so much trust in Job that he basically said,

"Take your best shot!"

I was blown away by this point of view.  It had never occurred to me that God might be allowing these things to happen to this family because of their strong faith.  Kind of like at work when I used to be put in the most difficult department on the busiest night because my boss at the time knew I was the only person who could handle it.  

Am I a strong enough Christian that God would not think twice about putting all of His faith and trust in me?  Are you?  

Please pray for peace and comfort and patience as this family works through their grief and as God completes the work He is doing in their lives.

These Hard Times

"Say goodbye, these days have gone
And we can't keep holding on
When all we need is some relief
Through these hard times"
~Matchbox Twenty

I cannot even begin to understand why some things happen.  Little Maddy was 4 years old and spent most of his life fighting for it.  He passed away two days ago, on Jan 8th, 2014.  I cannot imagine what his sweet parents are going through.  I fall apart every time I try to comprehend what they are dealing with and wonder how in the world they will move forward from this.  Nothing on this earth could repair my heart.  And that is exactly the point.  

Childhood cancer is probably the most awful thing.  Children dying and parents having to bury their children seems to me to be the worst thing for a person to have to endure.  It has always been my biggest fear. But of course there is tragedy all around us.  Unexplainable sadness, loss, injustices and grief touches all of us.  "Why?" is often the biggest question that people ask during these times.  What in the world could be the reason for ending the life of a sweet 4 year old boy and breaking his family's heart forever?  

On the day that Maddy passed away, my devotional addressed difficult times.  

"When times get difficult, we often seek 

God for the easy way out.  Easy means that 

someone waves a wand and poof, 

it's done, fixed, no more trouble."

It goes on to say that we pray for the "fix" but God doesn't always give us the easy way out.  Not because He can't perform the miracle, but because he knows best what we need.  The solution to our troubles may not be easy, and certainly in some situations not at all what we would want to happen, but we need to remember that God is in control.  I cannot comprehend why this happened to Maddy and his family, but there simply has to be some reason.  Some higher purpose.  God has a divine plan.  

The devotional ends with this prayer:

"Dear Lord, please help me to rest assured 

that You are going before me and that when 

I call on You, You will help me.  Thank You for 

growing me during these hard times."

Eleven Years

Eleven years ago today, I became a cancer patient.  It was not something I had ever thought about as a 33 year-old mother with two young children.  It was not part of the plan.  My world was turned upside-down with one phone call, eleven years ago this afternoon. 

Cancer doesn't care that you have young children.  Cancer doesn't care how much money you make.  Cancer doesn't care what your job is.  Cancer doesn't care that you have things to do.  Cancer doesn't care that you have people to take care of.  Cancer doesn't care that you have places you want to go.  Cancer doesn't care that you are way too young to have to deal with this.

Cancer is a selfish, ever-present enemy who can find anyone at anytime. 

Once you hear the words "you have cancer" or "the tumor was malignant," you are never the same.  From that very moment on, you are never the same.  It doesn't matter what kind of cancer you have, or how long it takes you to go from being a "cancer patient" to being a "cancer survivor," you are never the same.  No matter if you're the garbage man or a CEO, and no matter how much support you get from the people in your life, you are never the same. 

In that moment, the moment those words are spoken to you, you are instantly and permanently changed.  Changed in a way that only another cancer survivor can understand.  Your perspective about everything is changed permanently.

For this, I am thankful.  I appreciate every aspect of life more.  I appreciate small moments in life that are often overlooked by others.  I appreciate the people in my life.  I appreciate everything that God has blessed me with.  And I can deal with the ups and downs of life better.  I know that it could always be worse.  I know that "this too shall pass."  I know that God has a plan.  And eventhough I don't always like the way He executes the plan, He remains in charge. And I am learning so much on this journey. 

Eleven years. 

Even At My Worst I'm Best With You

There are so many levels of relationships that we have with people.  We have family, friends, coworkers, classmates, best friends, acquaintances, husbands, wives, children, etc.  We allow each of them to get to know us to a certain level.  If we are lucky, we have a friend (or two, or three) who know us completely.  If we have them, we are truly blessed.  I know, because I have three such friends myself. 

Don't make the mistake of thinking that we are all the same. The four of us range in age from 44 down to 27. Some of us are married, one is not. Some of us have children, one does not. My children are teenagers, the others have younger children. We all met at work, but only two of us still work at the same job. We are at different stages in our lives, going through different things at the moment. Yet I've never been closer to another person as I am with them.

The four of us get together a few times a year.  It doesn't matter what we do when we are together, the important thing is that we are together.  The last time we got together, we had dinner and one of us commented early on how it had been awhile since we were all together but that we all just seemed to pick up our conversation of our lives right where we left off last time.  We fell into a comfortable togetherness as if there had been no time at all between that night and our last evening together.  It's was like we had never been apart, even though it had been several months. 

These three friends know me better than anyone else on earth.  They know all the good, bad and ugly about me.  They know my strengths and weaknesses.  They know my sins and my triumphs.  They know my fears and my hopes.  They know my personality, my stupidity, my silliness, my sense of humor, and my downfalls.  And they still accept me and love me!

When we are together, I can completely relax.  I can completely be myself.  I can do or say anything without fear of ridicule or judgement.  Ok, that's not entirely true, there's potential for plenty of ridicule, but it would be all in fun.  We have supported each other over the last several years through so many of life's ups and downs.  Cried together and laughed together.  I have sought them out to just talk about stuff so many times when I was going through something.  I joke that they should send me a psychologist's bill, but it's entirely true.  I don't know where I would be without their support and acceptance and laughter and comfort and advice.

My life is far from perfect, but I am extremely blessed with these friends.  I love you Patty, Bailey & Amber! 


 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Sound like a Christmas song?  It does, I know, but I'm not talking about the Christmas season.  I'm talking about March.  So many wonderful things happening.  Most (read: regular) people think of Spring and flowers blooming and warmer temps and windows open and things like that.  I, of course, am referring to sports. 

Today is the first day of this year's NCAA basketball tournament.  In the next four days, there will be 48 college basketball games played on several different tv channels.  Me, and literally millions of other fans like myself, will be flipping between these channels over the next four days watching, reacting, cheering, yelling at the tv, checking our picks, watching replays on Sportscenter, talking with our friends and probably ordering take-out.  For college basketball fans, life stops for the next four days...or, life begins. 

These games matter to us.  They're important and thrilling.  Everything our team has worked for comes together right now.  You lose and your season is over.  Survive and advance.  Any team can beat any team on any given day, especially this year.  And it's all on the line this weekend. 

This tournament and all the talk and brackets and excitement over the games and their outcomes brings so many people together.  We're all fans.  We all care.  We all have an opinion.  We love our teams.  We love to compare brackets and talk about the games.  People who seemingly don't have much in common talk about their picks or the crazy finish to some game. 

It's been this way for me and my family for almost as long as I can remember.  I remember being just a little girl and watching (and listening) to games with my dad.  I'd ask questions and he'd patiently answer them.  My earliest basketball memories are of watching Ralph Sampson and his University of Virginia teams play, and listening to Bradley basketball games on the radio and being so excited when they won the NIT in 1982.  Now as a grown woman with children of my own, he'll call and ask if we're watching some exciting game, or we'll talk about the game when I'm at his house, or we'll sit and watch games together.  We all have our brackets and make our picks.  Even my kids, and my family members who don't watch all the games all year like some of us do.  My mother, for example, often picks her winners based on school mascots or team colors.  Somewhat surprisingly, she will frequently do better in her picks than some of us (read: me) who study statistics like RPI and points-per-posession and pay attention to Joe Lunardi's opinions. 

It's a crazy, wonderful, exciting, passionate time of year.  And I love it.  I love everything about it.  I love the game of basketball on every level from grade school to the NBA.  It's complex and exciting and amazing. 

But as much as this is the most exciting time of the college basketball season, it is also the beginning of the end.  When this tournament is sadly all over, however, we have baseball season beginning!  I'm sure y'all know that baseball is my love.  I could write a whole separate blog about my love for that game!  It's a totally different game.  Slower, much more majestic, but just as complex and exciting in it's own way.  But basketball, especially college ball, is a very close second in my heart. 

This is what makes this the best time of the year for me.  We have these amazing, exciting few weeks filled with important basketball games that everybody cares about and watches and when it all ends, we slide right into the best season around.  I'm in sports heaven right now.  And that's why this, for me, is the absolute best time of the year.

It Never Was About The Bike

So much talk.  So many opinions.  So much judgement. So many stones thrown.

One of the books Lance Armstrong wrote is entitled It's Not About the Bike.  And that really sums it all up for me.  I did not become a Lance Armstrong fan because of what he did on that bike in the French Alps.  At all.  The competition level in those races was merely leveled by his cheating.  He cheated, he lied, and like almost everyone else who hasn't been completely truthful, he tried to cover it up.  This isn't about the cheating and the lies and the cover-up.  Winning those races and the fame that it brought to Lance was really only a means to an end.  And not the end you think.  Yes, he became rich from the sponsors and endorsements and books, but the primary goal was to bring awareness and funding to the fight against cancer.  He has always said that this was his goal.  And as a cancer survivor, THIS is what's it's about for me.

Lance is a very strong-willed, passionate man when it comes to cancer.  He was given a death sentence and he simply refused to go along with it.  The details of the fight that he and his mother lauched against this disease are amazing.  The fight and perservernce that he showed later in the Tour were clearly shown in his fight against the disease and the system that treated it.  He attacked it, just like he did the mountain stages years later.  He used their experiences and the knowledge and perspective that they gained to help literally millions of people who have received the same diagnosis.  Including myself.  The information, resources, network and support that the LIVESTRONG organization has provided has been groundbreaking and invaluable.   

Unless you've heard the words "you have cancer" yourself, there is no way you can understand the toll that those three words can take on you.  Physically and emotionally.  Lance took the reins after he survived and did SO INCREDIBLY MUCH for the fight against cancer.  He was the face of the fight for so many years.  He gave cancer survivors support, information, a network, and most importantly...hope.  And that hope is invaluable.  THAT is what it's about. 

So while you're reading and listening to stinking everyone and their brother giving their opinion on Lance, what he's done, and his admission, please remember that the focus needs to be on his survival and his enormous efforts to help those who are fighting this horrible disease.  It's not about the drugs.  It's not about the cheating.  It's not about the lies.  It's not about the admission.  It's not about the bike.  It never, ever was.  And it never should be. 

Very Last Country Song

"If nobody did nobody wrong
If we knew what we had before it was gone
If every road led back home
This would be the very last country song."

-Sugarland

We all have ups and downs in life.  Some more than others and all different from each other.  My husband quitting work, going back to school, and me being the only source of income just a few years after we got married was stressful.  My miscarriage back in 1995 was unexpected and scary.  My cancer diagnosis in 2002 was extremely frightening and life-changing.  Last summer, with difficult team parents, coaching disagreements, and flat-out lies being told about my husband made the summer of baseball (which I love and look forward to) stressful and disappointing and so not the refuge from daily stress that it usually is.  We've survived all of these stresses and have come through stronger, wiser, and more faithful.

Twenty-twelve has presented me with many new challenges however.  One thing after another has been bombarding me month after month and I made a comment last month to someone that it feels like my life has turned into a country song.  It was a funny comment that made them laugh, but wow it's true. 

In January, my beloved golden girl Kama passed away in my arms.  She had not been herself for little while and we (mostly I) knew it was coming, but that doesn't take away the pain of losing such a special girl.  At the end of March, my husband unexpectedly and wrongfully lost his job.  I could write a whole other blog about this experience, and maybe I will, but suffice to say that the past few months have been an extremely stressful and difficult time for us because of this.  In May, our other golden boy Wrigley was diagnosed with a pigmentary uveitis, which is a genetic and blinding disease common to golden retrievers.  There is nothing we can do but try to slow down the progress of the disease and hope that he passes away of natural causes at a ripe old age before succumbing to the inevitable blindness.  Our only other option is to learn to live with a blind dog.  Which we will do, of course, if necessary.  It just seems like it's one thing after another.  We're half-way through the year and we've had three devastating events.  Of course there is no way I am going to ask "What else could go wrong?" because it inevitably would, and would be much worse.  That's just like asking for trouble.

Luckily, we are surrounded by so many wonderful people who have supported us and encouraged us and continue to do so daily.  Friends, family, a great vet, our pastor and church family...just so many people have been there for us in different ways.   Even just people in passing who take the time to talk or send a text or leave a comment on your Facebook page...they all make a difference more than most people realize.  The point is, regardless of the circumstances of your life, you are only as strong as the people surrounding you.  Thank you to the people who are helping me survive my "country song" type of year.  I love you.

Reflections on Eleven

I realized not long ago that I hadn't posted a blog page in months and months.  My life is so busy with work, sleep, taking care of my family, keeping them organized and keeping up with all of their activities that I just lost track of time and never sat down to put my many thoughts into word.  Changing that with this blog.

I've tought a lot about the past year and all that I've learned.  About myself, about others, about my kids and about life.  I know that I'll forget some (read: many)  things, but here goes....

*  Sometimes leaving something alone is the best path to take.  Especially with kids.  Sometimes the more you try to help, the more stress it causes.  They are capable.  Let them show you.

*  People are going to hurt & disappoint you.  Even the ones you love.  Forgiveness happens daily.  Sometimes hourly...

*  No matter how long it has been since you've been with a true friend, when you're with them again it is just like it was yesterday.

*  No matter how much you try to be better or different or improve yourself, some people will always think of you the same way they always have.  That doesn't mean you can stop trying to be better.

*  I can't be everything to everyone.  No matter how hard I try. 

*  I can't make everyone happy.  No matter how hard I try.

*  Sometimes you're empty.  You can only give and give and give of yourself for so long before you've got nothing left.  Find something that recharges you and replenishes your soul and makes you happy. 

*  Sometimes you just have to let things go.

*  Don't hold other people to the same expectations that you hold yourself to.  

*  Be confident and look people in the eye.  Regardless of how you feel inside.

*  Sometimes the thing that you love causes you stress and pain.  Keep on loving it.  Things will come around eventually.  Everything is temporary.   This too shall pass.

The First and Last Breath Don't Matter, It's All the Ones That Are In-Between

• It's more important to be happy than to be right.
• You can either be happy, or unhappy. Choose happy.
• Live life with an open hand, and open mind, and an open heart.
• Compliment three people every day.
• Watch a sunrise.
• Be the first to say "Hello."
• Don't waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
• Treat everyone as you want to be treated.
• Never give up on anybody; miracles happen.
• Remember someone's name.
• Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage.
• Be tough-minded, but tender hearted.
• Be kinder than you have to be.
• Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
• Keep your promises.
• Learn to show cheerfulness even when you don't feel like it.
• Remember that overnight success usually takes 15 years.
• Leave everything better than you found it.
• Remember that winners do what losers don't want to do.
• When you arrive at your job each day, let the first thing you say brighten everyone's day.
• Don't rain on other people's parades.
• Live beneath your means.
• Keep some things to yourself and don't promote havoc by backstabbing people you love.
• Stop rushing past life.
• Let go.
• Whatever it is, if you really want to eat it, eat it!
• Never piss off anyone who has access to you when you're asleep.
• Believe in God.

Credit: www.jaclyn-s.com

It Doesn't Take Talent To Hustle

"It doesn't take talent to hustle" is a quote from H. Jackson Brown that I saw on the back of a competitor's team shirts a year ago at our early-bird travel baseball tournament. It struck me as one of those quotes to remember. I shared it with Billy and he liked it so much that this past Jr. High baseball season he had it on the back of his team's shirts. Talent and natural abilities will only take you so far in sports...or in life. You have to be willing to work hard and hustle. Things won't always come easy for you and you have to know how to work in order to have success--in sports and in life. Sports are one great way for kids to learn such things.

Ashley is playing competitive club volleyball this winter. A couple weeks ago, she brought home a paper that her coach handed out to the team at practice that night. It was about her expectations for the players on the team. I was reading through the list the other day and it occurred to me how nearly everything on the paper could be applied to all of our everyday lives, not just to sports. Some of the things on the list include: be prepared, give 100% all the time, go as hard as you can for as long as you can, challenge each other to become better, hold each other accountable, everybody helps, eat right, and be active and find a way to contribute. All good things for team members to remember, but also for you and I to remember.

At the bottom of the sheet there is this list:

Things That Do Not Require Talent

• Punctuality
• Concentration
• Focus
• Mental Toughness
• Enthusiasm
• Communication
• Effort
• Hustle
• Awareness
• Attitude
• Rest
• Diet
• Patience

People sometimes disregard sports as a frivilous waste of time. I find that so frustrating, not only because I love sports so much, but because when they do that, they set aside the important things that can be learned from sports. Things that we all need to learn in order to be successful in all areas of our lives. No matter what our age or our situation, if we do our best to adhere to these suggestions, we give ourselves a great shot at achieving our goals in school, at work, in our activities and in our relationships with others.

"How do you go from where you are to where you wanna be? And I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. And you have to be willing to work for it."

~ Jim Valvano

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."

~ Vince Lombardi

Living Life

Life is not a race--but indeed a journey. Be honest. Work hard. Be choosy. Say "thank you," "I love you," and "great job" to someone each day. Go to church, take time for prayer. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. Let your handshake mean more than pen and paper. Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental--search for your purpose and do it as best you can. Dreaming does matter. It allows you to become that which you aspire to be. Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them. Some of the best things really are free. Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming. Forgive, it frees the soul. Take time for yourself--plan for longevity. Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know. Live for today, enjoy the moment.

IDK, My BFF Jen?

I just finished reading Jen Lancaster's latest genius contribution to my book library. Entitled My Fair Lazy, it discusses Jen's realization that she needs a bit of culture in order to not embarrass herself in social situations, the beginnings of her cultural "Jenaissance" and the culmination of said Jenaissance--an author's night amongst some socially elite peeps at a East Coast mansion. The stories told along the way are truly Jenesque. Hilarious. True-life. And told with Jen's unique author's voice. She speaks/writes the way I think. She is my age. We have the same general background, experience, feelings, memories, and mind. Therefore I relate to her books like none other that I've ever read.

The point of my blog today tho isn't to give a review of the book. Because truly it would be a completely and totally biased love-gushing kind of thing that only Jen herownself would want to read. I adore this woman, her stories and the way she writes. Period. If you're a 30- or 40-something female, read Jen. Heck, if your female, read Jen. If you like to laugh, read Jen. (Although for the first time ever, Jen made me cry. Jen? Page 248? I've totally been there. It's brutal. I couldn't believe you made me cry, but thank you, none-the-less, for including this.)

My point today is what Jen writes near the end of the book, on page 365. At the end of her Jenaissance, after her successful trip East amongst her peers and the socially elite, Jen realizes (partially because of (her dog) Maisy's illness) that our time on earth is limited and that we need to make the best of our time here and live each day to the fullest. Sound familiar? Pretty sure I've blogged about that very thing myself in one of my "life-perspective-that-being-a-cancer-survivor-has-given-me" blogs. Lemme quote Jen's book:

"If we can't come up with some kind of alchemy to stop the aging process, then were obligated to make the most of what we have, and the best way to do that is expand the depth of our experiences."

She goes on to suggest that we

"...fill our lives with a million new experiences, even if sometimes they're unpredictable or scary or take effort"

and

"Essentially, we realized we need to keep diving in. And if we do, our lives won't be richer for being long; our lives will be richer for having lived."

Well said Jen....well said.

These Are The Days We Will Remember

I got a text from my sister recently that really touched my heart and started me thinking. The end result of which is this blog. Some background...my sister and I have gone on lots of concert roadtrips together. Each one has been different, yet each one was a blast. Some of my most favorite memories were created during these trips, one of the funniest being our first concert at the Allstate Arena (probably known to most of you as the Rosemont Horizon). That trip home was better than the concert...and it was a Keith Urban concert, so that's really saying something. Ashley and I have recently been creating roadtrip memories together as well. Our trip to Nashville, and her tendancy to listen to the Mexican music channels on our trips to Chicago just to name two.

So the text. My sister went to Florida again this year with her family for spring break. They drive down and back. The drive home was long and she and I were texting to help her pass the hours. Late in the evening, after texting back & forth most of the day, I get this text from her: "you are fun on a road trip even when you arent with me." I got teary-eyed. It meant so much to me.

Since then, I've been thinking about all the special events that we experience. Concerts, baseball games, races, etc. The events are magnificent. Experiences that cannot be replaced. I saw Dale Earnhardt win the Brickyard 400. With my father. I've been to baseball games at Fenway. With Billy and the kids. I've watched Greg Maddux pitch against Roger Clemens. With them as well. I've seen Keith Urban perform live (looootttss of times). With Jackie and Ashley. I've seen the Jonas Brothers in concert three times. With Ashley. I've visited the Field of Dreams in Iowa three time. With Billy (and the kids after they were born). I've seen J.J. Redick play basketball in person several times. The first time with my friend Jen, who adores him as much as I do. Billy and I have been to lots of concerts together. Last year we saw Creed and Nickleback together. Concerts--as most of you know--are my drug. Ashley shares this passion with me. Billy does not. While those concerts were amazing beyond words (esp the Creed one, like OMG) it wasn't the same experience being there (not to mention the roadtrips there and back) with him and not Ashley.

My point is, that while the events were wonderful and breathtaking and amazing and unique, the best and most significant memories are created from these events because of who I shared them with. Seeing Dale Earnhardt win that race would not have been as significant if I hadn't been with my dad, a huge Earnhardt fan. Seeing J.J. play with Billy isn't nearly the same as seeing him play with Jen. Going to races with anyone but Billy--who loves the sound and feel of the power and speed of those cars as much as I do--just would not be the same. Being at Fenway would not have been quite as amazing if I hadn't been seeing it through Ryan's eyes, a huge Red Sox fan. Seeing Maddux vs. Clemens would not have been as powerful if I hadn't been sharing it with Billy, someone who understood the significance of what we were witnessing. Seeing Keith without Jackie or The JoBros without Ashley (especially that first time) would not be the same at all if I had seen them with anyone else.

There have been a couple of occasions in recent years where Billy has gone to a pro baseball game or a race without me. Each time, he has told me how it just wasn't the same without me there. Aww, how sweet, right? But I think that he really meant that the people he was with didn't appreciate the expreience or didn't share in the experience with him the same way I did.

We can fill our lives with fun things and special events--but in the end, it's who we share them with that makes them significant and memorable. So cherish the moments, but make sure you cherish the people in them more. For it is the people who make the moments precious.

"These are the days we will remember
These are the times that won't come again
The highest of flames become an ember
And you gotta live 'em while you can..."
~Keith Urban

I LIVE For This

"In the beginning, there was no baseball. But ever since, there have been few beginnings as good as the start of a new baseball season. It is the most splendid time in sport." ~B.J. Phillips.

I'm sitting here watching opening day baseball games. This is, by far, my favorite day of the year. It is my own version of Christmas. I live and breathe this game. I love everything about it. I love reading about it, studying it, analyzing box scores, watching it and especially listening to it on the radio. I love my team, but I love the game more. Winning isn't everything. The game, to me, is about more than that. It is so beautiful. The gorgeous green grass. The beautiful brown dirt. The pristine white foul (fair?) lines. I love the 12 to 6 curve ball, the perfectly executed relay from the outfield to throw out the runner at the plate, the sweet lefty swing, the 4-6-3 double play, keeping score at the games, the third baseman coming in and bare-handing the ball and throwing across the infield to get the runner at first, the brushback pitch and Baseball Tonight's web gems. This game is history to me. And relationships. My father and I share the love of this game. As do Billy and I. And we're passing it along to our children. Ashley's first major league game was on her one-month birthday. She's been keeping score at games for years now. Ryan is named after Nolan Ryan, the greatest power pitcher ever. His first major league game matched up Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens at Wrigley Field. And I sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as a lullaby to them when they were babies. They both have known all the words to the song for as long as they can remember. I'm pretty serious about my love of this game. "The Void," as George Will refers to the off-season, is now over. Baseball is back. I can breathe again!

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." ~ Rogers Hornsby

OPENING DAY

For over a century, baseball has been hailed above all other sports as America's National Pastime. And no other game during the regular one-hundred sixty-two game season has been as eagerly anticipated as Opening Day. Just look at any die-hard baseball fan's calendar. Vacation? Holidays? Anniversaries? All are often forgotten and pale in comparison with the coveted first game of the season. Ask any fan what the "official" start of Spring is. Chances are their answer will be Opening Day.Regardless of the outcome, Opening Day still remains as the number one date in the hearts, minds (and on the calendars) of baseball fans everywhere. The official countdown begins after the last pitch of the World Series when we can't wait to hear those two magic words again, "Play Ball!"

"There is no sports event like Opening Day of baseball, the sense of beating back the forces of darkness and the National Football League." ~ George Vecsey

BASEBALL IS

by Greg Hall

Baseball is grass, chalk, and dirt displayed the same yet differently
In every park that has ever heard the words play ball.

Baseball is a passion that bonds and divides all those who know it.

Baseball is a pair of hands stained with newsprint,

A set of eyes squinting to read a boxscore,

A brow creased in an attempt to recreate a three-hour game

From an inch square block of type.

Baseball is the hat I wear to mow the lawn.

Baseball is a simple game of catchand the never-ending search for the perfect knuckleball.

Baseball is Willie vs Mickey, Gibson vs Koufax, and Buddy Biancalana vs the odds.

Baseball links Kansan and Missourian, American and Japanese,

But most of all father and son.

Baseball is the scent of spring,

The unmistakable sound of a double down the line,

And the face of a 10-year-old emerging from a pile of bodies

With a worthless yet priceless foul ball.

Baseball is a language of very simple words that tell unbelievably magic tales.

Baseball is three brothers in the same uniform on the same team for one brief summer

Captured forever in a black and white photo on a table by the couch.

Baseball is a glove on a shelf, oiled and tightly wrapped,

Slumbering through the stark winter months.

Baseball is a breast pocket bulging with a transistor radio.

Baseball is the reason there are transistor radios.

Baseball is a voice in a box describing men you've never met,

In a place you've never been,

Doing things you'll never have the chance to do.

Baseball is a dream that you never really give up on.

Baseball is precious.
Baseball is timeless.

Baseball is forever.

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." ~ Terence Mann (Field of Dreams)

The Television is the Devil

Ok first of all, just ignore the fact that I'm sitting in front of the laptop typing this instead of doing any one of the countless things that I need to do today. I'm a professional procrastinator, remember? Ironically, this blog is about getting up off your duff and getting stuff done--which I am clearly not doing at the moment. Regardless...

I have decided that the television is evil. During the day anyway. In the evenings, for the most part, it is for sports (ok, ok, and the Disney Channel). In my house anyway. Most of the time. But during the day it is nothing but a distraction that keeps us (read: me) away from doing the things that I need to do. Even if it's just the friggen Weather Channel, if it's on while I'm home and up, I find myself staring at it. I'm no better than my children whom I complain about when they sit staring, mesmorized by the stupid thing.

I used to change the channel at 9am when Mike & Mike went off. I'd flip over to the Weather Channel to see what was going on, because I'm a weather geek AND because I can't stand Skip Bayless who is on the show that comes on ESPN2 after M&M goes off. Well, I've noticed that recently, the Weather Channel has been sucking me in. I'm either fascinated by all the snow out East that my brother-in-law is doubtlessly enjoying or I'm waiting/watching/hoping & praying for the temps around here to slowly begin to climb. (Please God, soon mkay?) Either way, I'll stop in the hallway and stare at the thing and then next thing you know, I'm sitting and petting one of the dogs. Next thing you know...bam! Two hours are gone. Really?

So back to my normal rountine. TV is off at 9am. Period. (Well, except for during March Madness and when the Cubs are on...lol, look I'm already giving myself an out.) My music comes on the computer (the next blog pertains to this...ohhhh I'm such a teaseeee!) and I'm determined to be more productive. There. I've said it out loud (sorta) so now I have to stick to it, right? Right.

I'm Alive and I'm Free, Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me?

Ashley posted a blog recently (which you should read, btw) shortly after a conversation she and I had in the car one evening about music and concerts and how they affect us (she & I) more than most people. She described what music means to her (and me) perfectly. She said that it fills a hole inside and is healing and holds memories and feelings that can't be expressed with words. All of this is true. Most people like music because of a beat or maybe some lyrics. But music is so way much more than that. Music lifts my mood and motivates me. A bad day can be completely turned around by some good music. It gives me perspective and joy and provides an escape at times too. When you need a little time to get away from your daily trials and stress and you just can't seem to get your mind off of your problems, nothing distracts and gives you that time away like certain songs can.

Not all songs are created equal. I have a playlist of songs online of songs that lift my heart. It's quite diverse, including everything from Buckcherry to Jake Owen to Jay Sean to the Jonas Brothers. I know, right? It is a fluid playlist. Some songs are better suited for my "day off" playlist than others. And as new songs arrive on the scene that make my heart float, they find their way onto my playlist and some lesser-suited songs are removed. Music is such a blessing to me and I truly feel sorry for people who don't "get it" and who don't have such a blessing in their lives.

Ok, but so the point of this blog isn't music itself...it is concerts. I had a conversation recently with someone who criticized me for going to concerts to see the same people/groups over and over. This person couldn't figure out why in the world I would go see the same person and hear the same songs all over again. I tried explaining that each concert is different and that yes some of the songs are the same but that different ones are played in there each time as well. They didn't buy it. And then I began to try to tell this person about the fact that it's not just the music that you go for...rather, it's the experience. The party. The uplifting of your spirit. The escape. And often-times, the road trip. The fun bonding time you share with the person/people you go with. Ohhh the stories...lol. I stopped because I realized that no matter what I said, no matter what words I used to try to explain how concerts made me feel, I wasn't going to be able to properly put it into words that this person would understand. Not because they are incapable, but because it's impossible to put such feelings into words. Either you get it or you don't. And you can't make someone understand how this feels. And just because they don't "get it" or understand why you do something, doesn't mean it's wrong. Each person is different and different things motivate us or lift us up.

I remember driving home from my first Keith Urban concert with my sister Jackie. She was so thrilled that that night was so life-changing for me. She was excited that she had come across someone else who "got it" like she did when it came to Keith's shows. It wasn't like I suddenly got it that night tho. I've been a concert goer since I was a freshman in high school. And in more recent years, had been to many (mostly Sammy Hagar) concerts with Billy. He goes to concerts to see the show and hear the music that he likes. And that is certainly part of it. But that is not the main reason I go. That is not the reason Jackie goes. And...I have learned that that is not the reason that Ashley goes. Jackie and I realized that night that she and I shared the same experience. Like really. Neither she nor I had ever gone to a concert with someone who shared that before.

I realized this potential in Ashley a few years ago. I blogged about it on myspace back when it happened. We were driving home from church one Sunday morning and I went to say something to her and looked over at her and she had her eyes closed and was softly singing one of her favorite songs that happened to be playing in the Blazer at the time. I was astounded. I about broke down crying right there. I saw on her face that she was immursed in the song. She was feeling the emotion of the song. She "got it." And so I began taking her to concerts with me. With us. Jackie and I have taken her along to many (seven, if you're counting) Keith Urban concerts now and she and I have gone to many other concerts together as well. She gets it. She gets that it's not just some songs being performed that you've heard a million times already. It's the entire experience. The trips there and home. The stage show. The amazing guitar solos. The talking between songs. The party atmosphere. The escape. The time away from your daily stress and problems. Time to just dance and sing your heart out. Time to just enjoy it all and be yourself...your true self. Not somebody's mom, or co-worker, or ride home from the game. It's time to let your soul, your spirit, dance and sing.

I feel sorry for people who don't have an outlet like this in their lives. How boring and sad their lives must be. Everybody needs time away. Time to let their heart sing. I am blessed to have music and concerts in my life. And I am even more blessed to have people in my life who "get it"...who understand what they mean to me and share in the true experience with me.

Take 'em by the hand, don't let 'em all fly by

I just returned from my yearly oncologist appointment. And my eight year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis is coming up in a couple of weeks. So naturally I find myself reflective on this whole experience and what it's done brought to my life. The single-most important change in my life since that day in 2002 when I was told that I had cancer was the realization that I wasn't living my life to the fullest. I wasn't out there going and doing and creating memories. I was "getting through" each day, week, year. Incredible events had occurred in my life, to be sure. The birth of my children each being the two best days of my life. Wonderful, life-changing events. But life became more difficult after that. Sleepier, workier, harder. Definately more wonderful. Having children was the best decision I've ever made. They bring so much love and joy and laughter into my life. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Days, weeks & years became a blur. Events & memories almost non-existent.

Once I realized I wasn't going to die anytime soon from my cancer, I began to realize that the years were flying by and I needed to start living it. I needed to start trying to make every second count. I needed to start creating memories. I began to embrace the people and things that made me happy. Thowing myself into them. I began doing more fun things and taking more risks. You're only given so much time here on earth and you'd better make the best of that time before it's gone.

As my children have grown more, I've started making a point of creating memories with them. Vacations, fun little trips, concerts, baseball and basketball games...all things we enjoy and can have fun doing together. Taking the time to stop and see things and not hurry past them because we're trying to "make good time" getting somewhere. These opportunities may never come again.

Our trip to Boston was most definately one of the biggest memory-makers we've done. That trip is something that none of us will ever forget. But memory-makers don't have to be huge, planned-out, expensive things. Last year when driving home from a mini-vacation to Iowa (to visit the Field of Dreams again), we took a winding two-lane road home that followed the Mississippi River along the Illinois/Iowa border. We passed through many small towns, sang along with the music on the radio and stopped to watch the sun set on the great river while trying to skip rocks along the water. So these times don't have to be huge expensive events. Sometime it's just simple things, experienced together, that can create a memory.

Another significant example of creating memories is my concerts with Jackie and Ashley. My daughter has been to eighteen concerts (and counting) and she doesn't even have her driver's license yet. She and I share a passion for music and concerts, so this is something that she and I can do together. And believe me...we create lots and lots of funny, crazy, amazing memories together! I would share some of them here, but really only she, and maybe my sister Jackie, would understand the funniness or significance of the memory. But that's the point, isn't it? Creating special memories with the people that we cherish in our lives?

Live each day, don't just survive it. Cherish each moment and create memories with those that you love. You don't have as much time as you think, and if you keep putting it off...suddenly the time is gone. Do it. Start today.

Days Go By
by Keith Urban

I'm changing lanes
I'm talking on the phone
I'm drivin' way to fast
And the interstate's jammed with
Gunners like me afraid of coming in last

But somewhere in the race we run
We're coming undone

Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind as the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by

Out on the roof just the other night
I watched the world flash by
Headlights, taillights running through a river of neon signs

But somewhere in the rush I felt
We're losing ourselves

Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind as the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now'Cause days go by

We think about tomorrow then it slips away
We talk about forever but we've only got today

Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind as the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by

It's all we've been given
So you better start livin'
You better start livin'
Better start livin' right now

'Cause days go by
I can feel like 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind as the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by
These days go by

So take 'em by the hand
They're yours and mine
Take 'em by the hand
And live your life
Take 'em by the hand
Don't let 'em all fly by
Come on, Come on now

Don't you know the days go by

Where Are You Now?

To my favorite teacher, told me never give up
To my 5th grade crush, who I thought I really loved
To the guys I miss, and the girls we kissed
Where are you now?

To my ex best friend, don't know how we grew apart
To my favorite band, and sing alongs in my car
To the face I see, in my memories
Where are you now?

Where are you now?
Cuz I'm thinking of you
You showed me how
How to live like I do
If it wasn't for you I would never be who I am

To my first girlfriend, I thought for sure was the one
To my last girlfriend, sorry that I screwed it up
To the ones I loved and didn't show it enough
Where are you now?

Where are you now?
Cuz I'm thinking of you
You showed me how
How to live like I do
If it wasn't for you I would never be who I am

I know I'll never see those days again
And things will never be that way again
But that's just how it goes
People change, but I know
I won't forget you

To the ones who cared and who were there from the start
To the love that left, and took a piece of my heart
To the few who'd swear, I'd never go anywhere
Where are you now?

Where are you now?
Cuz I'm thinking of you
You showed me how
How to live like I do
If it wasn't for you I would never be who I am

If it wasn't for you I would never be who I am
If it wasn't for you I'd be nothing
Where are you now?


These are the lyrics to a song from 2009 by the group Honor Society. Pretty amazing lyrics if you think about it and apply them to your own life. Think about all the people who have touched your life in some way--however small--and have affected who you are today. Teachers, coaches, family members, friends, crushes, coworkers, boy/girlfriends, favorite musicians, internet friends, athletes we like, people you are waiting in line with even. They all affect our lives and help to shape who we are. Mostly for the good, but sometimes in a negative way as well. We can't help but be affected by their touch on our lives.

Teachers or coaches who believed in you (or didn't) have a big affect on you. You'll probably never see most of your teachers/professors/coaches again but I'll bet that there is at least one who had an affect on your life. And maybe not because of something they taught you in class. Friends, especially the ones we make in high school or college, have a strong affect on the person we become. This is a huge one. During those eight years we are figuring out who we are and what we stand for and who we are going to be. All of these people help shape who we are for sure. It's so easy to lose touch with these friends after graduation and when life gets busy and gets in the way. But that doesn't mean that you don't think about them and wonder what they're doing and hope that they're ok.

I've kept in touch with a couple of friends, but for the most part I've lost touch with most people who were in my life 20 years ago. In the past couple of years, through Facebook, I have reconnected with a few friends from school who were important in my youth. Oh, make no mistake, I've reconnected with lots of old classmates, but there are a select few who stand out. Who had an impact on my life. Whom I have thought about over the years and always wondered what they're doing and if they're ok. It was only recently, while reconnecting with these special few friends, that I realized what an impact they had on my life and future friendships/relationships. Each of these people affected my life and probably none of them realize to what extent.

Each person in our past is part of a memory. Mostly good. Some bad. All memorable. We carry those memories and those people around with us every day. When we see them or talk with them, the memories--and the feelings surrounding them--resurface. Don't think for a second that you are not part of someone's memories. You are. And for that reason, we all must remember how profoundly we affect each others lives every day.

Pay It Forward

I have so much to write about and so little time, it seems, to get all of my thoughts down in readable form. Frustrating! Regardless, I'm taking time to put these thoughts down 1) because I was reminded this afternoon about something that happened a month ago that prompted this particular blog idea and 2) because I don't feel like doing the other tasks on my list for this afternoon. My blog has become a reason to procrastinate...like I needed a reason.

Back in December, a friend of mine posted on her Facebook page that the woman in front of her at the Starbucks drive-thru generously paid for her order and told the person working at the window to wish her a Merry Christmas. It made her day. The unprompted generosity of this woman brought her to tears. Reading her post, I was moved by the idea. And decided right then that these little acts of kindness needed to become a habit. And not just at Christmas-time. All year round.

I decided to take action. About a week later I was in the drive-thru at McDonald's and decided to act. I paid for the girl behind me's order. The cashier didn't blink twice when I asked if I could do that, making me think that maybe this idea isn't as rare as I thought. I hope not. Waiting in line, looking at the girl in the car behind me, she looked to be about 20, driving a clearly used car and had a school parking sticker in the window. I imagine she was a college student getting her morning breafast and dose of caffeine. She had no idea what was coming and it made me feel pretty good inside knowing that I was about to surprise her with a free breakfast.

A coworker of mine suggested an idea to me for another act. She said that she was driving by our work and saw a group of people standing out on the sidewalk across the street from our building having a smoke break. In the rain. She stopped, got the umbrella out of her back seat and gave it to them. Then drove away. Saw the need and met it.

Randomly, out of the kindness of you heart and without thanks expected in return, we should all see the simple needs in other's lives and meet them. The phrases "pay it forward" and "random act of kindness" have been so overused in our society in recent years that everybody just sort-of blows over them now when we read or hear about them. But if we stop just reading about them and actually perform them, then they become real to us. And you don't have to wait to come across someone stranded with a flat tire on the side of the road. If an opportunity doesn't come along, you can create one of your own. Like I did. Oh we're all so busy and stressed and preoccupied with our own problems!!!! It costs you almost nothing in money or time to do something like this, but it will make you feel like a million bucks--not to mention how it will make your recipient feel. And hopefully they will return the favor to someone they come across. Imagine if everyone started doing these things? Just being aware of other's needs and being thoughtful enough to meet them. Simple, huh?

Starting Over

Ok, so I've had an account here for awhile in order to follow and read my daughter's blogs. AND I've blogged over the years on myspace and posted "notes" on facebook. I decided today that I should have some central place for all of this and so you have this, my first blog here.

Today is a very special day. January 4th will forever be etched in my and Ashley's minds as a wonderful, eventful, fun, amazing day despite it's place smack dab in the middle of the cold of winter. One year ago today, on January 4th, 2009, Ashley and I roadtripped it to Nashville, TN to the historic Ryman Auditorium to see a special one-night only concert dubbed "Jonas Brothers and Friends." Several months prior, I had promised her that I would take her to see the JoBros the next time they toured and right before Christmas they announced this special concert. I suprprised her with tickets that I paid too much for (but like that is anything new) and off we went. Cold, gray and gloomy, we set off in my dad's car warming ourselves with laughter and music all the way down to TN, arguing with "Jen," our Garmin tour guide. No worries, eventually Jen saw things my way and took us right to our hotel in downtown Nashville.

It was warm and rainy. We drove around a bit, visited the Vanderbilt University campus (where we did not get caught by the police trying to break into Memorial Gymnasium), then decided to walk around the music district of Nashville a bit before heading to the auditorium. It was all so colorful and musical. I wish we had had more time to spend there but we were on a tight schedule. Rain-drenched, we stood outside the auditorium waiting for the doors to open and trying to control our hearts everytime a group of girls started screaming for some random reason. Those screams can be pretty unnerving the first few times you hear them. You feel like you're missing out on something fantastic and want to go see! You soon realize that it is either nothing...or by the time you get there, you'll have missed whatever great thing it was that they were screaming at.

When we got inside, we were astounded at how small the place was. AND at how close our seats were. We sat there in anticipation, nearly hyperventilating in the last few minutes before the show started. The concert was amazing. Any words I put down here will simply not do it justice. The boys played lots of their songs, covered several well-known songs including "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder and Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" (be still my heart), and also shared the stage that night with a diverse group of artists. i.e. the "Friends" part. We saw Faith Hill and Tim McGraw and the boys performed with Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Phil Vasser, Martina McBride, Steven Curtis Chapman, Brad Paisley, Jordin Sparks and they introduced the world to the group Honor Society (who knew?). Each person would come out and they all would sing a Jonas Brothers song and a song or two of the guests'.

Ashley and I stood there 28 years apart in age but exactly the same on the inside. Singing and screaming and dancing and enjoying the music and the atmosphere. After the show, we weren't so much sad that it was all over as we were amazed at what we had just seen. We got back to our hotel room, made a few excited phone calls, then lay in bed for probably an hour talking about what we had just experienced.

The early-morning wake up came too soon and bleary-eyed we headed off on our return trip back to IL. Caffeine and music kept us awake and made the trip go by quicker. We have been to lots of concerts together, some close just in Peoria and some hours and hours away like this one and I think that we both agree that the ones that require roadtrips are the best. Yes, you lose sleep and are wiped out the next day, but the road trip there--or sometimes back as my sister Jackie can attest to--oftentimes makes the trip. The concert experience is enhanced by the time together in the car excitedly talking (and singing) in anticipation or talking (and singing) in remembrance.

One year ago today Ashley and I shared what is easily one of the best days of my entire life. Yes, the concert (our first JoBro concert and our introduction to Honor Society) was amazing and unforgettable. However, those 36 hours shared with anyone else simply would not have been the same. It was one of the best days and concerts of my life because I shared it with Ashley. Making memories that we will have with us forever. Ashley, I love you.