Cheerleading..and other different worlds!!

Today was day # 2 in Geneva....training......getting ready for the new cheerleading season.
Already, I am beginning to get the feeling that life in Chardon cheerleading is much different than life in the cheerleading world in Geneva.
What in the world have I gotten myself into?
It seems that for years things have been a free for all. Not so in Hilltopper land.
Tumblers and high octane cheering goes on up here on the hill.
Just beginning to wonder if these people want to strive for a #1 first class program....don't really know and thinking that it will be met with opposition.
We will see.......everyone is thrilled that they are getting a coach from Chardon but.....FOLKS....it's just little old me!
I'm not kidding when I say old either because the Varsity coach is young enough to be my daughter...
So, we will see!!
GO EAGLES

A New Baby

Baby # 4 hatched today. Mommy is sitting on her nest faithfully and........funny thing....my plant is doing well these days.

We had a moment

Sunday night I was having one of those nights that I could not sleep. It was only the 3rd night that week.........about 3PM I took a small trip to the bathroom and when I came out there were 2 beautiful big eyes glaring at me. LOL!! There was my little buddy Matthew smiling in my spot.
He could not sleep either. So Matt and I moved daddy over and watched TV for about an hour until he fell asleep and then I went to sleep at 6:15.
Yesterday, I wanted to take a nap SO BAD but just I was ready to wonder off into dream land...Matthew came yelling up the stairs...."COME SEE.....COME SEE....MOM"
So I headed down the stairs (my eyes ready to roll back in my head) and as I looked out of the window in my office I saw the most beautiful site.
For 2 months now, I had been upset that there were 2 birds invading my English ferns on the front porch. I had tried everything to get these stupid birds out of my plants because they are killing them.
Anyhow, we have babies......yes....the most beautiful site was 2 baby birds that have hatched and 2 more eggs waiting to hatch.
The birds obviously thought that Matthew was mom and they opened their moths for some food.
I made sure that Matt did not touch the nest but he found 2 worms and fed the birds. We talked about why he should not touch the nest and then the question came......."would you ever leave me alone mom?" The mommy heart strings were struck and I hugged him and told him all about that I would always be mom and would keep him forever if I could but there will come a time when I will need to push him off the nest so that he can fly. Can you hear The Circle of Life from Lion King playing in the background?
It was a very sweet moment.
This morning, #3 hatched and mommy bird is still taking care of her babies.
Matthew is such a "boy". He loves all the things that little boys should love .....yet......he has such a gentle side. I say he is my other daughter at times.
It was one of those "Mommy" moments that I will never forget.

Vision

Vision inspires.

Vision allows you to see the unseen.

Vision gets you doing things you never dreamed

of accomplishing.

Vision creates an environment in which a team operates at its very best.

Vision pushes you to look past the obvious

and look to the supernatural.

-Darlene Zschech, Hillsong Church

Overboard

Has anyone ever seen the show "My Super Sweet 16"?

Oh my goodness.....are there really people who have daughters (that they created) like this?

Now, I will be the first to admit that we spoil our daughter and there have been times that I have wondered if we have gone overboard.

This show is about girls and their Sweet 16 blow-out parties. They stomp, swear, rage, pout, whine,.....you name it.........they do it.....so that their parents will give them the party of their dreams. I had that party when I got married....what do they have to look forward to?

I had never seen this show before until today and I have been in awe of the stupidity of parents.

This one family spent $ 89K on the party alone. That was not counting the gift of a car. I don't know what the dad did for a living but their house was not really that big. You have to wonder if they went into debt for this party.

Now, I like nice things.....I enjoy many designer things......I love the smell of Sax Fifth Avenue and Nordstroms. And......we all know that I LOVE SHOES. Alright...........I am shallow but I do always buy on sale and do not run up credit cards.

I think we are a society of "overboard" thinking and that is why our economy is in the trouble that it is.

I grew up in nice homes that had one bathroom and my parents made sure that we had nice things and some really nice things. We managed to survive. My children live in a home with 4 bedrooms, rooms we only use when we have company, and 2 1/2 baths and we think we need more room.

If you can afford a over the top party......why not?.....but you have to ask yourself about these girls stomping their feet to get what they want. Who is going to marry this child and what is she going to be like when she is adult? I hope that she marries money because it will be a very hard adjustment on her part.

Enough of my ranting.....what are your thoughts. The show is on Style Network.....watch it sometime.

She came into my life today

12 years ago today I was blessed to meet a girl that would change my life forever.
7:41PM on July 10, 1997, Brittney Nichole Wilson came into our lives. She was our first born....happy, easy to take care of, full of joy, full of personality, and beautiful. 12 years later, she is all of those things and more.

Brittney and I spent this morning together and I could not help but find myself thinking back to what this day felt like 12 years ago. Oh yes......it was filled with pain but the overwhelming joy when she was born is just hard to explain to someone who has not experienced it themselves.
Over the past 12 years we have certainly made some mistakes but we have done a few things right also.
First and foremost in my mind is that we have (and continue to do so) taught her WHO JESUS IS. At the age of 3, Brittney sat at a Missionette Honor Star Crowning and listened to Pastor Don Hammer preach a simple message about salvation and Brittney responded to the altar call all on her own. She followed Pastor Hammer from one end of the altar area to the other (it was funny) because she did not want to miss her opportunity.
Brittney is kind and caring. One of the things I love about Brittney is her compassion for people. I don't know what she will do with her life but I pray that God will continue to guide her and use that compassion for His plan and purpose in her life.
Brittney has a sweet spirit. There are so many young people today that are just plain "mean". One of the things that stands out about her is that people always tell us about how sweet she is. I believe that is a gentle spirit that only God gives.
Brittney is bright. I have never met a kid that loves school and spends part of their summer wishing that school would start. She gets exceptional grades and the world is hers .......she can write her own tomorrows with God's guidance.
There are many more things and qualities that come to mind when I think about my baby girl today but I think besides for Jesus in her life the next most important is that I was given the honor of being "Brittney's Mom" on this day 12 short years ago.

Don't grow up to quickly baby......I will always be here for you......Mommy loves you!!

Break it Apart

"If it looks to big, break it apart."
We are often faced with obstacles that seem far too difficult for us to tackle. We will be making great progress, and then all of the sudden we run into something that stops us dead in our tracks. A common response to this is to turn around and go another way or to just give up, but there are more than two options when you are facing challenges. You can break apart the challenge in front of you and then work through it! When I am faced with challenges I have the habit of wanting to give up before I realize that if I break down the challenge into smaller parts it is very manageable and accomplishable.So how do you break apart a challenge or problem and defeat it? Here are three steps. First, you have to take a step back and look at the challenge from a distance. If you do not take a step back it is too easy to let yourselves get wrapped up in it and become overwhelmed. Second, find out how you can work on a part of the challenge at a time. By working on small parts and succeeding at fixing them you will be encouraged to keep going on; as you fix small parts you will get closer to overcoming the whole thing! Thirdly, do not lose perspective, most of the time the challenges we face are not the end of the world as we know it, remember that you can only fail if you stop trying.