1.  ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? The NFL is back in action along with all the college teams.  Are you a fan?  Who do you root for?  If you're not a fan what do you do while the rest of America watches Saturday, Sunday, Monday night, and now Thursday night games? 

Oh football... must you return to the mayhem of my house? You are so noisy! You LAST SOOOOO LONG! 

Here it is... it is out in the open... I do not like football. I tried hard to learn about it and to have fun with it when I was in high school. I was even on the Pep Squad! My husband loves football. He looks forward to it's beginning every year. I'm always amazed at the facts that he remembers about football and its history. I love that my husband loves football so much that he researches the history of the teams. I dust his football books on the bookshelf. I love that my husband is in my life and feels free to be himself. My boys used to like football. Carl wore a Steelers hat for years. We didn't know what his hair looked like for about 3 years. Now he informs us that he does not really like watching sports. He'd much rather play them. My Longhorn fan is a mystery. We're just not sure why he likes them and we're just as amazed when he wants to watch them or decides not to. We just can't figure it out! 

Then there is Fantasy Football... this is when I (the only girl in the house) plays a long and is a good sport. I will humor the guys and fix up a team (which I then leave to the will of the computer). I like to win and I enjoy learning that my team beat my guys' teams. It's all about winning for me. I don't even know the players are on my team! 

Football is about to happen to my world... We live so close to a stadium that our road will be shut down to accommodate traffic. Thoughts about where I can run away are filling my mind! 

2.  What's something I'll always find in your closet?

Cowboy boots and scarfs

3.  Share one of your earliest memories.

I remember Dr. Seuss. Lots of Dr. Seuss. I loved those books! I remember crying and feeling miserable (lots of allergy issues) and someone in my family would read Dr. Seuss to me to help me wait for the Benedryl to kick in. I remember my good friend, Butch, a black and brown dachshund. I loved getting into boxes and he'd come in them with me. I remember missing my sisters when they would go to school. I remember that exciting tingle I'd get when they came in the door, or when I saw my dad walk around the corner on his way home for lunch. I'd run to meet him and then walk the rest of the way home with him. I remember my dollies and toys. I remember taking afternoon naps, snuggled with my mom on her bed. 
4.  What circus act best describes your week so far?

My life is taking a wild turn. It makes me feel like I am on one of those enormous hamster wheel where the performer does tricks on top, inside, and around an enormous wheel that is rotating at a seemingly slow speed. The amazing thing is that the performer is so tiny and the wheel is so huge that the performer works hard to keep up with the wheel while they do crazy stunts. 

I'm trying to manage my family events: dentist, orthodontist, allergist appointments for my boys. Juggling music lessons and school challenges with the kids along with keeping up with the laundry and house cleaning. Then there's the textbook reading and college class requirements challenging my time.

I pursued something yesterday that I think might lead to something good...I will share it with you later! I can't wait to see where God takes it!

My greatest challenge is to stay caught up with the rotating wheel and not fall off! 

5.  What's a food you disliked as a child that you love now?

Beans!!! I love beans!!! Pinto, Red Kidney, Refried, Black, Navy... I love them!!!!

6.  Describe your summer in three words.

moving, sewing, and boys

7.  Where were you on September 11, 2001?  Will you do anything special to mark the day?

I will not forget how life changed for us! It was a beautiful morning, my husband and little boys were just finishing up breakfast and my husband was preparing for another soldiering day at work. As I was cleaning the cereal out from my littlest boys' ears and hair, I looked up at the tv with my wash cloth in hand and saw the 2nd plane hit the tower. I stopped, staring in disbelief...

That was the moment that my family's life changed forever. My soldier would no longer get much time at home and I would be asked to stand strong through multiple deployments, times when the military would require my husband to be away. I would learn what it meant to make sacrifices that are often unseen, understood, or appreciated. I would learn that I could endure a tremendous amount of fear, heart ache, and loneliness. My boys would experience life in ways that I never wanted them to have to experience. They still think that having a dad who is gone all the time is normal. It seems that they have spent more time talking to their dad via Skype or phone calls then they have speaking face to face. We see families experiencing our greatest fears. Our hearts hurt and cry for the devastation that this horrible event brought on people and still continues to bring. We pray often for those who are still be affected by this event. We hate war and violence.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

I am amazed how brave my youngest boy is. He has faced down some surprising doctor and dentist events without visible fear. He found something to joke about each event. I am so pleased to see him growing into a strong, brave young man. He just amazes me! 

(Another fun writing tool! http://joyce-fromthissideofthepond.blogspot.com)