Winners

I've watched some of the Men's Basketball March Madness this season (I watched A LOT of it when Michigan was still in it) and I watched the final game last night.  Every time this Dove Men's commercial came on, it made me tear up.

By the way, North Carolina won... and I hope they were also winners.

Rough Day

Now this is a rough day...

And I really hope that cheerleader is okay, but I have to confess Hubby and I were in the kitchen doing dishes watching this live when it happened, because we just had ESPN on... and by the time they replayed it several times, we were laughing really hard.  That's a really rough day for her.

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day.

  

All The Way

For posterity sake...

and an addendum as of November 2, 2016

Double 1000 Words

1000 Words

... and... 

1000 More Words

Go, Cubs, go!

So... tonight is GAME SEVEN of the World Series... which is ALWAYS a big deal.

Game seven means that this is the last game, and winner takes all.

Game seven means that the teams are tied 3-3, and everything comes down to this last and final game.

Game seven is a big deal.

Game seven tonight is an especially big deal because THE CUBS are in the World Series.

The CUBS have forced a Game Seven of the World Series!

The Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908.

The Cubs have not played in the World Series since 1945.

This Game Seven is a BIG DEAL!!!

Cheering for the Cubs in this World Series is not my just jumping on band wagon... I have been a Cubs fan for a long time, I'm just not allowed to talk about it vert often.

 My Daddy grew up just north of Chicago and cheered for the Cubs as a boy.  

I recall a few stories about jumping a fence or two to watch the Cubs play.  

I recall another story about my dad (the golden boy) SKIPPING SCHOOL to stand in line for tickets for one of the World Series game in Chicago in 1945.  He got ten feet from the window when they announced tickets were sold out.

I remember those stories and have always liked the Cubs.

My grandparents and my brother attended Northwestern University... and became Cubs fans during their time in Evanston.

When I was six years old, I was on WGN radio and got to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and, of course, I sang the words, "... root, root, root, for the CUBBIES."

I like the Cubs.

When I married Hubby, I was informed that I was now a Cardinals fan... and the Cubs were our rivals.

That was fine, for the most part.  I love Hubby, so I was happy to become a Cardinals convert (and Hubby was happy to become a Michigan football fan), but when the Cubs were not playing the Cardinals, I still liked the Cubs.

Now, the Cubs are in the World Series,

the Cubs are not playing the Cardinals,

the Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908,

 AND

the Cubs have forced a GAME SEVEN. 

So...

Baseball season’s underway

Well you better get ready for a brand new day

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

They’re singing …

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

They got the power, they got the speed

To be the best in the National League

Well this is the year and the Cubs are real

So come on down to Wrigley Field.

We’re singing now …

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

Baseball time is here again

You can catch it all on WGN

So stamp your feet and clap your hands

Chicago Cubs got the greatest fans.

You’re singing now …

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today

Go, Cubs, go

Go, Cubs, go

Hey, Chicago, what do you say

The Cubs are gonna win today.

 

Big Game

Today is a big football game... Michigan v. Michigan State.

This game is always a big game... but last year Michigan lost on a fluke play in the last ten seconds of the game.

This year... this picture says it all:

 

Special Day

Today is a special day... University of Michigan's SEASON OPENER!

I have been looking forward to this day since the day Howard and Caroline were born... two hours before the last Michigan game of last season.

Are you as excited as I am?

I love having two daughters and a son headed into football season.  How much fun to share my passion with my next generation.  I hope they come to love football season, football the game, and especially MICHIGAN football as much as I do.

Here are some videos to help grow your excitement:

Happy Football season!

Oh Man...

Gotta love sports...

If you follow Michigan college sports, you get this... if not, you should really start following Michigan college sports.

Gameday Signs

So, Michigan lost to Michigan State yesterday in a HORRIBLE blunder in the last ten seconds of the game.

Michigan fans were left stunned and speechless.

In an effort to move on, I wanted to share my favorite two College Gameday signs thus far this season:

 

Let's Go MICHIGAN!

Michigan football is BACK and this season has been SO exciting.

Today is not only the Michigan State v. Michigan game, but both teams are ranked in the top 15, and College Gameday is broadcasting living from Ann Arbor.

This will be a VERY exciting game.

GO MICHIGAN!!!

Country Nation

There is a new song circulating the College Football scene this season and its by Brad Paisley.  Honestly, I used to really like Brad Paisley... then, frankly, I felt like he got a little too modern, too rock-and-roll, and too liberal for me.

But, I had heard parts of this song, Country Nation, a few times in the past few weeks of College Football, and so I looked up the video... it is really cool.

First of all, it's filmed on Vanderbilt's football field, which is awesome!  Also, when I've just heard the lyrics of the song, it's enough to make me want to cry... but to see the video, it's more lighthearted than the melody implies.

In honor of Michigan's third win in a row for a current record of 3-1, here is Country Nation:

Cutest Fan

Despite an unfavorable outcome, Hubby and I had a great time in Salt Lake City cheering for Michigan yesterday at their 2015 college season opener.

And, that's more... we get to go home to the cutest fan ever.

BIG DAY

Today is a BIG DAY!!!

I have been looking forward to this day for over a year.

Today is the day my UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WOLVERINES play Utah IN Salt Lake City, and Hubby and I will be there in the Michigan cheering section.

I have attended one Michigan game in my life, over a decade ago, and Hubby has never attended one.  Now, this game will not occur in The Big House, the quintessential location to watch a Michigan game, but it will occur 6 hours from our home, which, for us, is even better than The Big House.

In addition to it being an exciting day for us, and the commencement of the 2015-16 Michigan football season, it is also the maiden voyage coaching game of our new coach, Jim Harbaugh, who signed as the new Michigan head coach last January and has been a hot topic of conversation, throughout the sports world, ever since.

Despite all the hype, today is his first actual game coaching, and Hubby and I get to see it!

LET'S GO MICHIGAN!!! 

Beating Cancer

I spend many hours watching ESPN, but I never knew the sportscaster, Stuart Scott.  Apparently Mr. Scott passed away recently following a battle with cancer.  He was awarded the Jimmy V. award recently, and in his acceptance speech, I said words that I want to remember,

“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live... So live.  Live.  Fight like hell and when you get too tired to fight, lay down, and rest and let someone else fight for you.”

I have had many family members whose cause of death was cancer... that did not mean they lost to cancer.  I have many family members who have beaten cancer... and they faithfully beat cancer every hour of every day, until they were welcomed into heaven by their Heavenly Father.

Rest in Peace, Stuart Scott... and so many others who beat cancer and are now cancer-free and resting in peace.

Beat Ohio.

Michigan, Beat Ohio State.

It's BA-ACK!

I am SOOO excited!!!

GO MICHIGAN!!!



Thus begins one of my FAVORITE seasons of the year!!!
And this year, I get to share it with this Little Miss, the cutest Wolverine on the planet!

Treasuring the Present: Jimmy V... Don't Give Up! Don't Ever Give Up!

 
This week is Jimmy V. week in the sports world.

via

If you do one thing for yourself today, PLEASE take the 12 minutes to watch Jimmy Valvano's speech as he accepted the first ever awarded Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award.  My thoughts are below, but my thoughts are not the important part of this post.  WATCH HIS SPEECH.



This speech was given on March 3, 1993 at the ESPY Awards when Jimmy V. received the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award.  Jimmy V. was actually the first ever recipient of this award.

Many expected that Jimmy V., whose body was riddled with tumors, who impressed many simply by being present, in person to receive the award, would stand up at the mic... if he could even get to the mic, say "Thank You" and sit down.

On that night, in March, Jimmy V. gave the world a gift by accepting the Arthur Ashe award.  He bestowed wisdom that outlived him and offered advice, which has been immortalized.

In addition to a speech that will never be topped, Jimmy V. announced the creation of The V Foundation For Cancer Research.

I do not remember a world without cancer, so it is hard for me to believe that in 1993 (my lifetime) that money for cancer research was not a high priority.  The V Foundation has lived on... a college basketball tournament occurs every year (Jimmy V. was a great college basketball coach) to raise money for cancer research.  The tournament is happening this week.

This speech will give you such a gift.
The enduring tag line of the speech -- Don't Give Up!  Don't EVER Give Up!
So much said, with so much heart.

via

For all the emotion, the advice, the stories, the humor, the meaning of this speech, my favorite part, I'm sure, was not in Jimmy V.'s original version.

Seven minutes into the speech, Jimmy V. looks at the camera and acknowledges that the camera is flashing at him saying "30 seconds to wrap it up."  No one in the audience knows that this message is occurring, but Jimmy V. does not oblige with the 30 second warning.  Neither does he ignore it.  He acknowledge the warning.  He says,
"That screen is flashing up there '30 seconds' - Like I care about that screen right now, Huh?  I got tumors all over my body, I'm worried about some guy going '30 seconds' Huh?"
Then he throws in an Italian phrase, which I don't know what it means, but you can take a guess for yourself.  :-D

What a moment of true honesty.  His speech begins with this same honesty.  He says, "Time is very precious to me. I don't know how much I have left and I have some things that I would like to say."

I am starting to border a document the length of a dissertation on this speech, but before I close, I want to clarify -- Why did I post this speech today, under Treasuring the Present, when Jimmy V. is no longer with us?

Did you listen to his speech?
TREASURE THE PRESENT.
Don't Give Up! Don't EVER Give Up!

Three things we should do every day:
1. Laugh
2. Think
3. Have your emotions moved to tears

Treasure the Present:
LAUGH, THINK, CRY

Jimmy V. died less than two months after this speech.
God Bless Him.

Are you treasuring the present?
Have you Laughed, Thought, Cried today?

For a little more on the Jimmy V. speech:

Last One...

Last College Gameday of the Season.


I will miss this.