There is no place like Nebraska

Greg Burcham, a.k.a. gbrugin, sportswriter for the UCLA Bruins wrote an article Sunday entitled "The Morning After 2" on Bruins Nation, reflecting on the game against the Huskers Saturday.  In his tagline he says, "The UCLA Bruins notched a fantastic win over Nebraska in one of the meccas of college football yesterday, but the win wasn't the most important thing that happened."  It's true, and also makes me proud to know that Lincoln is referred to as a mecca of college football, (because it's true).  If you'd like to read the whole article, you can find it here.  I read it because honestly it paints Husker fans, players, coaches in a positive light.  So, I've decided to highlight those parts of the article.  I promise one of these days I will write a post that's entirely original thought.

"But when you consider everything that led up to this weekend, I think yesterday's win was the best."  I didn't like to read this statement, as it really just adds insult to injury, but keep reading.

"I say that because some things in life are more important than the final score of a football game."  Even as diehard as football fans are, especially Huskers, I must admit this is true.

"Granted, this is not Nebraska's best team ever, but it was a proud team with a great home field advantage, so any win, especially a win like that, means a lot."  Also a bittersweet statement, but ultimately a compliment.

"One thing that was more important than the final score was the character of the Nebraska football program, and that includes their fans. We confirmed this week that Nebraska fans are about as classy as you will ever find. When I wrote on the morning after the Nebraska game last season, I said that I wanted us to be like Nebraska. I wanted us to be a deeply passionate fan base that wore the same color blue and filled the stadium every week and welcomed the opponents and respected the game and set the standard for what a home field advantage looked like. Well, Nebraska took my great fan card and completely trumped it with kind words from their head coach on Monday and #36 stickers on their helmets and a moment of silence and blue and yellow balloons and a banner before the game and more humanity and decency than I have ever seen from an opposing team. And in doing so, they upped that standard for a fan base to a whole new level. If everyone had the same heart and concern for their fellow man as those Nebraska folks, the world would be a far far better place.

Husker fans will be disappointed about this loss for a few weeks, but I hope they will appreciate that the goodwill and respect they have earned in our eyes and in the hearts and minds of anyone around the country who was following these events is worth more than 5 National Championships, and it will be remembered far longer than the final score. So as the final score rolled up in our favor, I just couldn't cheer quite as loud knowing the disappointment those amazing people were feeling."

Here's a video recap of Saturday's game with a tribute to Nick Pasquale.

While I was really disappointed with how the Huskers played on Saturday (my nephew slept through it, smart kid) the home field advantage attitude that was emulated towards the Bruins is something to be proud of.  This article contains the best compliments that can be paid to a nation of college football fans.  Since I can remember, I've rooted for the Huskers, and I will always be proud to root for the Huskers. 

Fall Bucket List

I found this on Pinterest, but I thought it was a good list.  


-pick apples
-make leaf art
-go on a hay-ride
-jump in a leaf pile, pictures optional
-enjoy a bonfire, and smores!
-make caramel apples
-corn maze-I've actually never done this because when you've grown up around corn, it's simply not fascinating
-go to a pumpkin patch
-go on 2 dates (Ha!)
-make fall cookies-what are those, Snickerdoodles?
-take a nature walk, and photo-document it
-trick-or-treat
-bake pies-well duh
-decorate a pumpkin (carve/paint)
-drink fancy coffee drinks
-picnic-I haven't been on a picnic in ages, and only once in the fall

So that's the list, with my comments.
Here's my additions:
-watch football, faithfully
-go to football games
-enjoy football weather
-go to a Husker game

-make fancy coffee drinks
-go to my first college Homecoming-I'm excited about this!
-eat & make candy corn/peanut mix
-drink Spiced Cider
-celebrate Harvest




I will do my best to complete as many of these as I can.  We'll see how it goes!

What a 4-year-old should know

Someone sent me this article on facebook, and I thought it was worth the read, and worth dissecting.  The link with the full article is below, but I decided to highlight a few things.

"She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time."


"He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations." 

"He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking." 

"He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up."  Family is everything, and home should be those who created it, not the four walls that held it.


"She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination.  She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs."  

"He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them."  Parents, please don't try to live vicariously through your children.  Our Great Creator created your child to be one very special person, not a mini-version of you.

"... let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud."

"She should know that the world is magical and that so is she.  She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous."  Never let your child believe that he/she is anything less than wonderful.

"She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics." ...or math facts, or shapes or colors.  Not every day, but this is your toddler we're talking about, no truancy officer is going to come knocking on the door of your backyard.

Parents!  Listen up!

"...the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books."  May I point out that this goes beyond preschool.  KEEP READING to your child all the way through elementary school or longer if they'll let you!

"That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children “advantages” that we’re giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood."

Junior and Princess are not responsible for bringing home the bacon, making the doctors appointments or the play-dates   That's you mom/dad!  They are responsible for picking the crayon, bedtime story or popsicle flavor they want, and for obeying you.

"...children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them."  Build your home library!  Don't make a trip to the library seem like an ordeal, or only for special occasions.  Books should be the "normal" your child becomes used to, and videos, movies, and noisy, lighted toys the special occasions choice.  That doesn't mean that books aren't great presents too!  Also, give them the freedom to explore all of this themselves.  No I don't mean turn them loose in Wal-Mart with the Visa, but give them supervised options and really let the choice be theirs.  Again you're not out to create a mini-me or the next Nobel-Prize winner, Heisman trophy winner or Miss America.  But if you let them be themselves, maybe they will be someday...after they've learned to tie their own shoes and cross the street safely by themselves. 

"Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like Legos and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books."  More toy suggestions, to guide them to toys that will help give them a good educational foundation.  Even better than that pre-school you've been on the waiting list for since you found out you had a bun in the oven, or tried to put a bun in the oven.  Yes let them choose, but remember you are the parent, not the best parenting specialist on The Today Show.  YOU.  Unless of course you have given parenting advice on The Today Show...then you too.

"They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit."  The glitter makes me cringe, but yes glitter.

"That our children need more of us.  We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. "  Sorry parenting experts, Pinterest gurus, and bestselling parenting magazine editors, but it's true.  Your main headline should be: Spend More Time With Your Kids, because there is no magic formula for programs, preschools, play-dates and personal time.  The formula is more mommy-n-me time, more daddy-n-me time.

"They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them." 

"They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work." Ooh toddler pace!  The best!  They haven't a care in the world but they're so perceptive and curious!  The fun years.

"They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them."

We base so much of our lives, and our children's lives on grades, ratings and climbing the ladder.  We need to learn to celebrate each other and especially children for who they are.  Not for what they can or can't do.  Furthermore we need to give them the freedom to explore the world so they can discover who they are.  Life is a beautiful journey, not a race to the top.

*Boldness added for emphasis.

*Italics are my thoughts

Original article: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.holley.50/posts/10151863600121151

The value of education

Education has always, or at least for a long time, been a value in this nation, correct?  Thomas Jefferson said, "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."  Since Jefferson was in office many federal and state dollars have been put towards educating the citizens and future leaders of our society.  But have we lost sight, lost focus of this priority somewhere along the way?

It seems that the focus has turned to homeland security, and spending money on wars on foreign soil and anti-terrorism.  Homeland security has always had a fuzzy definition for me, but the current spending pattern seems to demonstrate that no one has a clear definition for it.

Furthering this thought about education and spending, what if we fully funded our schools?  Maybe then prison funding wouldn't be an issue.  Maybe, we would find money left over to fund our institutions of higher education, and the society of educated citizens that Jefferson envisioned would actually have a shot at reality.  Just some food for thought.

I'm a teacher! (No but for real this time)

Hi y'all!  This post is long overdue.  I'm glad you don't expect these on a regular basis, because I am crappy at it.  Anywho.

At the beginning of summer, I wrote and bragged about how I had just accepted a job, and I was now officially a teacher, Yipee!  Several things have happened since then:  I passed all the Praxis exams (first try), I actually have my license, I have had my first day of school (best & worst day), and no kids have gotten hurt or died on my watch!  That's a success.  I really meant to write another post once I moved, but that didn't happen, and then a post while I was a midst the craziness of prepping my classroom, also didn't happen, and a really important post after my first day.  Well, today is the day after labor day, and we've been in school for over two weeks.  Oops.  I'll do my best to summarize the last three months.

Moving away from Hillsboro was really hard.  I had a final lunch date with my summer boss before I left.  She pointed out that if I was having trouble saying goodbye it only meant that I had connected, and really made my time worthwhile in that place.  Three years ago I never would've imagined it would've been so hard to leave silly old Hillsboro and tiny Tabor.  But it was.  It was hard to leave friends, and the Christian community that had been home for three years.  It was also hard because I knew one person moving out here, but no super-close friends.  Furthermore I now live six hours from where I grew up.  Funnily enough, as many of you know, this is not the farthest I have ever lived from home.  But I don't have a return ticket this time, and it was scary.  This is the farthest from home any of my siblings have ever lived indefinitely.

I moved July 27, just me my parents and the U-haul.  After some final hugs and packing help from Rachel, Michael and Asia, checkin' out of my boring, white apartment, and some Subway lunch, we hit the open road.  My parents got to experience first hand just how excruciatingly long the stretch from Hutch to Dodge is.  Bleech!  We got in before any rain hit, and moved me into a slightly larger, two story apartment in Sublette.

Monday morning I set to work in my classroom, sure that I didn't have near enough time, and not having a clue what I was doing.  The next three weeks-ish I spent in meetings or workshops or in my classroom, certain I was not cutout to do this job and that I was nowhere near prepared.  Thankfully I work for a great Educational Cooperative and I have a sound and encouraging mentor and a supervisor, who both assured me that I was indeed ready.  The night before school started I couldn't sleep because I was just positive that the next day was going to flop.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: I didn't wake up excited or with butterflies, I just wished I could go back to bed.  I thought this to be a bad sign.  Coffee helped a little, but the 12 mile drive to school didn't help much.  Once I pulled into the metropolis of Copeland, the excitement starting bubbling up until I could hardly contain it.  By the time I got to the school parking lot I was bursting with joy.  I saw a junior high student as soon as I walked in the doors, who very cheerily said good morning, and I knew it was going to be a great day.  My first day of teaching excitement is akin to my first day of Kindergarten.  I was finally big enough to go to school!  Again, I'm finally big enough to go to school (and get paid for it)!  The rest of the day was fine, not all my butterflies were gone, there were some scary parts, but it went fairly slowly and I got through it.

Since then, I've been getting by, getting better, getting to know my surroundings and my students.  I truly do love every one of my students, and I love that constantly seeking ways to improve their education is my job.  I'm thankful for the school that I work at and the Cooperative that I'm employed by and I believe in their missions and philosophies of educating students.  No matter how cliche` I sound, each day brings about new successes and challenges.  Building relationships, especially with people my own age is slow, but it's getting there.  I've been visiting churches, and I'm close to settling on one.  Something I absolutely can't forget is that God sent my here, and He's taking care of me no matter what.

Tomorrow...is the first day I have a substitute.  I'm not super scared, but I'm nervous.  I'm worried that my plans aren't detailed enough, and everything is going to crumble when I'm gone.  Granted, things crumble even when I'm there, but then I'm there to pick up the pieces.  But it won't, and I have fabulous paras who will hold down the fort.

Thank you for sticking it out this far (in the blogpost, and life).  As always, thanks for your prayers!
Becca