Baylor Bears football Archives

Boy it’s been a busy month! From your comments I know many of you think all my months are busy, but this one takes the cake. Especially for the teenager in the house. So even though it’s my birthday month, I’m okay with saying, “See ya!” to September.

So far I can describe Allie’s senior year in two words. Fast and Furious. She is the President of her High School’s choir participating in two choirs herself. Musical theater, PALs (Peer Assisted Leadership) and 4 Advanced Placement classes round out the rest of her school schedule. She is also President of Students Standing Strong (a Christian club), in She’s the First (another club), involved in Spirit Sisters (a pep organization), Student Council, National Honor Society and leads worship at church. Oh, she has a part time job too, and I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten a school club or three. I’m not sure how she keeps up with it all.

She does most of her homework after the hubs and I go to bed (I think), and we probably average seeing her 15 minutes a day. I guess that will prepare us to see her 0 minutes a day next year when she’s in college.

What’s Taking Up Our Time?

Noises Off filled up the bulk of Allie’s September calendar. She committed to practices 5 days a week and an extra day for tech to play the role of Brooke/ Vicki in the slapstick play.

Labor Day weekend took me down the highway to Waco, Texas with my sister for the funeral of an old friend’s mom. In high school and college we spent many hours enjoying the hospitality of this dear lady. We hung out at their house, swam in her pool and ate lots of her food. It was bittersweet to get to say goodbye to her while also reuniting with friends who held important places in my life during my formative years.

Since we were in Waco on game day, my sister and I decided to take in some Baylor football. The temperature was boiling, but we won and saw some more friends there. The following Saturday, my Bears didn’t kick off until 9:15pm. Almost my bed time! But Chuck and I tortured ourselves by staying up until 1am to watch us lose in overtime. And the next weekend, we went to see my parents and grandad to watch the game with them. Baylor football is a festive occasion for me!

More Goings On

The city REC center where I work closed for their annual cleaning and maintenance week. So instead of teaching yoga and working with seniors, yours truly ended up on her hands and knees polishing chrome in an elevator – among other things. That’s a commitment to clean you definitely won’t see at my house!

In other news, I somehow talked my talented sister into taking Allie’s senior pics. I feel so fortunate to have her on the job. I watched the two of them work together with a heart full of joy. Beauty in front and behind the camera. Erin is still working on editing, but here is a sneak peak. I can’t wait to see the rest!

My church life group started back to Bible study mid-month after a summer break. Our teachers chose the book of Deuteronomy to go through together. I learned about these Bible journals from them and am enjoying this resource as we dive in.

Chuck, Shelby and I got to go see my nephew play defensive tackle for his freshman football team and enjoyed a mild evening hanging out with sweet family. Now that the evenings aren’t hotter than Satan’s pocket, I hope we can go watch him play again.

September’s Diversions

I read Dreams of Savannah by Roseanna M. White and am currently listening to the audiobook The Magnificent Lives of Margorie Post. She was the Post cereal heiress. I recommend both, especially if you enjoy a period piece. For a non-fiction read, I have That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, the Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need a Hobby by Annie F. Downs going. The author covers more serious ground than the title lets on.

My husband and I are currently being creeped out (in the most fascinating way) by Steve Carrell in The Patient on Hulu. The Netflix documentary Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist creeped us out on a whole different level. Whether or not you already know the catfishing story of Manti Te’o, this deep dive is worth a look. We also watched a special on Queen Elizabeth after her passing and are enjoying the She-Hulk series.

This last documentary needed a paragraph of its own. I stumbled across The Jesus Music on Hulu or Amazon Prime and took a trip down musical memory lane. The film documents how religious music moved out of the church and onto the airways and concert venues. It chronicles the Jesus movement of the 70’s to Contemporary Christian Music of the 80’s and 90’s to the worship emphasis of today. The clips of the music and artists of my growing years sent me down a weeks long rabbit trail of looking up and listening to Stephen Curtis Chapman, DC Talk, Amy Grant, Wayne Watson, Randy Stonehill and Michael W. Smith. And I’m not to the bottom of this hole yet. My Spotify algorithm is turned upside down.

And We Also Went Out

The new threesome (since Allie stays so busy) of my husband, Shelby and I ventured to the movies twice this month to support Christian film making. Lifemark is a beautifully affirming true story of adoption. In fact, the idea for the movie came from a documentary shot by the subject’s best friend called I Lived on Parker Avenue. So of course I had to see this 30 minute short as well. You can find it for free on Tubi. And I recommend it. We also stepped out for Running the Bases. This one had some pretty unrealistic moments, but the message was great and since it was about baseball, it held my Shelby’s rapt attention.

On my birthday eve I traveled back to Waco with my husband and Shelby for my 30th high school reunion. Some days I still feel like I’m in my 30’s and others I feel like I’m decaying by the day. But catching up with some friends who knew me when was tons of fun.

And as this publishes I am on my way to pick my best friend up from the airport! She is coming in for our annual girls weekend to celebrate our autumn birthdays. She and I are going back to Waco (Yes. The third time this month for me.) for some more Baylor football and quality time. Any time I get to spend with Patsy is a good time.

On that note I leave you with this message: I love you, I thank you and I pray October treats you well!

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up.

Grace and Truth’s own Tammy Kennington wrote so beautifully about the things she’s learning from her weariness caused by fibromyalgia. Although I can’t relate to that specifically, I can relate to being sapped by chronic back pain. Do you have a pain (physical, mental or emotional) that is wearing you out? You will be encouraged by Powerful Truths About Weariness.

The Link Up

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We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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Ok, so October is ALMOST over and done with. Halloween looms on the horizon, but we have done most of the October things.

When I left you at the end of September’s round up, Chuck and I were driving to New Orleans for my birthday weekend. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel, ate the best shrimp I’ve ever tasted in my life and laughed hysterically at Leanne Morgan’s Big Panty Tour. On the road, we listened to Heather Land’s A Perfe ct 10: The Truth About Things I’m Not and Never Will Be. Not nearly as funny as her first book. I recommend sticking with I Ain’t Doin’ It: Unfiltered Thoughts From a Sarcastic Southern Sweetheart.

Activities That Are Over and Done With

We started off the month with slightly cooler temps here in Texas so the hubs and I invited a couple of friends to an outdoor concert at the lake. A pleasant breeze and even more pleasant company made the evening a hoot. The cover bands and the food trucks – not as much. The next day we took Shelby to a Texas Ranger game on gifted tickets. She loves her Rangers.

I’m still pinching myself that I got to go to a second live Baylor football game this season. This time with the home field advantage and a bigger win. My sister invited me on – again – gifted tickets. Such a fun day of driving, cheering and shopping with my sis. We even made it on the jumbotron (if that’s what these ginormous screens are still called)!

On Indigenous People’s Day, the kids were off of school and I took Shelby to the botanical gardens for a Best Buddies Match Party. She had a ball and I sat under a shade tree with my computer while she enjoyed the festivities. This is such a great organization and the sweet kids who volunteer their time with mine are true treasures.

The next evening we took a short 30 minute drive to see my niece Bethany perform with her school band in UIL contest. I don’t think I’ve been to one of those since my own sisters were in band. That’s been a minute. I enjoyed the music and creativity of the shows. And speaking of music, the next evening we snuck into the youth worship service at our church to hear Allie lead 5 songs. As this becomes a habit for us, I grow more and more thankful that I get to be lead to the throne room of God by my daughter. Watching her use the immense talent that God gifted her for His service is one of the greatest joys of my life.

We filled the middle weekend of the month with football, football and more football. We took Shelby to her first high school game to see her sister sing the national anthem with her choir. Visiting with friends there made Friday night lights even more enjoyable. The next day we went to my parents’ house to watch Baylor win again. And Sunday Dallas had a huge win over New England. So fun.

After a busy weekend, Allie sang in her first concert of the new school year under a new director. As always she had the biggest cheering section of any kid with her aunt, grandparents, boyfriend and boyfriend’s parents accompanying Chuck, Shelby and me. And this week we got Sing Out – the annual solo showcase and contest.

As this goes to press, I am once again winging out of town. This time to Atlanta to hang with my best friend and see the Downton Abbey experience. So pumped!

Entertainment – Some Over, Some Ongoing

The hubs and I jumped on the new reboot of The Wonder Years. I find it almost as charming as the original. And we watched an older movie on TV – The Trouble with the Curve. Not sure how I hadn’t ever heard of this one with such big names in it.

I added 3 new podcasts to my queue. The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill (about Mark Driscoll and the trappings of power and celebrity). Southlake – the story of racial turmoil in a school district close to my home. And 9/12 – a documentary about the ways our world changed after 9/11.

As this goes to press, I am once again winging out of town. This time to Atlanta to hang with my best friend and see the Downton Abbey experience. So pumped! And as we turn our hearts toward the season of Thanksgiving, I want to say; I thank you, I love you and I pray November treats you well!

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

Theresa Boedeker brings up a concept that is not often discussed, but – in my opinion – important for each of us to fully realize in our search to know God. Read How People Influence Our View of God. I’d love to know your thoughts!