ONE DAY!
This
is
Oklahoma
Football
I'm not excited at all...
9.02.2011
8.31.2011
the best time of year.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until my favorite time of the year.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until 84,000+ people yell BOOMER SOONER for the first time this year.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until Ryan Broyles begins his hopeful journey to break basically every record at OU and Landry Jones to the Heisman.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until the race to the Sugar Bowl starts.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until it's football time in Oklahoma.
The further from graduation I get, the more thankful I am that I am able to call myself an alumni of the University of Oklahoma and the more I realize how much that place actually taught me. I don't necessarily remember what I learned in class, but I learned more about life in those 4 years that I ever thought possible.
I met some of my best friends. I met some of my worst enemies. I learned that people don't always have your best interest at heart (which is contrary to what I grew up believing in small town Texas). Some people have always been, and always will be, all about themselves. Some people, however, are angels sent from heaven. Sometimes, that scary professor that you don't want to take, will change your outlook on life, love, school, and everything in between. I learned that I will never get tired of Chick-fil-a, watching the leaves turn to gold or the feeling you get when you walk into that football stadium. Norman saw me at my best and my worst. Driving into Norman for the first time was one of the scariest days of my life. Driving away from Norman for the last time was one of the saddest days. Somewhere between Couch Tower #1103, 744 Elm Ave and Classen Boulevard, I became the person I am today. And for that, I could not be more grateful.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until 84,000+ people yell BOOMER SOONER for the first time this year.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until Ryan Broyles begins his hopeful journey to break basically every record at OU and Landry Jones to the Heisman.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until the race to the Sugar Bowl starts.
--3 days, 5 hours, and 35 minutes until it's football time in Oklahoma.
The further from graduation I get, the more thankful I am that I am able to call myself an alumni of the University of Oklahoma and the more I realize how much that place actually taught me. I don't necessarily remember what I learned in class, but I learned more about life in those 4 years that I ever thought possible.
I met some of my best friends. I met some of my worst enemies. I learned that people don't always have your best interest at heart (which is contrary to what I grew up believing in small town Texas). Some people have always been, and always will be, all about themselves. Some people, however, are angels sent from heaven. Sometimes, that scary professor that you don't want to take, will change your outlook on life, love, school, and everything in between. I learned that I will never get tired of Chick-fil-a, watching the leaves turn to gold or the feeling you get when you walk into that football stadium. Norman saw me at my best and my worst. Driving into Norman for the first time was one of the scariest days of my life. Driving away from Norman for the last time was one of the saddest days. Somewhere between Couch Tower #1103, 744 Elm Ave and Classen Boulevard, I became the person I am today. And for that, I could not be more grateful.
8.06.2011
worth far more than rubies.
10 [a]A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
-Proverbs 31
"no one has been as blessed as me. it turned out better than if i had ordered it." - Daddy Crook
Heaven got a new angel early thursday morning. today we reflected on what a wonderful mother, wife, grandmother, artist, seamstress and cook she was. thank you for giving us the perfect example of how to be a lady. and thank you for leaving behind such a legacy. thank you for making the world a better place. we miss you already. but i know you are in a place far greater than we can imagine. so this is not goodbye, this is see you soon!
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
-Proverbs 31
"no one has been as blessed as me. it turned out better than if i had ordered it." - Daddy Crook
Heaven got a new angel early thursday morning. today we reflected on what a wonderful mother, wife, grandmother, artist, seamstress and cook she was. thank you for giving us the perfect example of how to be a lady. and thank you for leaving behind such a legacy. thank you for making the world a better place. we miss you already. but i know you are in a place far greater than we can imagine. so this is not goodbye, this is see you soon!
7.21.2011
6.13.2011
MFFL
This is DALLAS.
Dirk and the rest of the team took their talents to South Beach and Your Dallas Mavericks are 2011 NBA Champions. Finally. Sweet, Sweet Victory.
The American Airlines Center watch party sold out in 31 minutes. The stadium that the game was not being played in was more populated 30 min before tip-off than the stadium in Miami. We jumped around, yelled and were rowdy, proud and LOUD with 20,000 of our closest friends as we watched Dirk and Jason Kidd FINALLY hold that trophy over their heads. We watched as Dirk FINALLY won Finals MVP. We all watched as the Mavericks FINALLY got what they deserved. And I couldn't have asked to spend that moment with better people. The whole time it was happening, all I kept thinking was "this is one of those 'I'll always remember what I was doing when ____' moments". It was a moment Dallas has been waiting for since 1980. And I dont think there has ever been a goup of more deserving players.
GO MAVS!
Dirk and the rest of the team took their talents to South Beach and Your Dallas Mavericks are 2011 NBA Champions. Finally. Sweet, Sweet Victory.
The American Airlines Center watch party sold out in 31 minutes. The stadium that the game was not being played in was more populated 30 min before tip-off than the stadium in Miami. We jumped around, yelled and were rowdy, proud and LOUD with 20,000 of our closest friends as we watched Dirk and Jason Kidd FINALLY hold that trophy over their heads. We watched as Dirk FINALLY won Finals MVP. We all watched as the Mavericks FINALLY got what they deserved. And I couldn't have asked to spend that moment with better people. The whole time it was happening, all I kept thinking was "this is one of those 'I'll always remember what I was doing when ____' moments". It was a moment Dallas has been waiting for since 1980. And I dont think there has ever been a goup of more deserving players.
GO MAVS!
6.08.2011
5.09.2011
4.11.2011
living by faith.
"...the righteous will live by faith. That means, that we don't always have an answer for the 'why'. but we trust that even in the darkest of days that God is good, He is loving and He is at work to redeem and reconcile all things unto Himself. And so the righteous, we live by faith in the face of tragedy, we live by faith in the face of loss, we live by faith in the face of devestation and, um, disrepute, and on and on we could go here. We live by faith. That means, we cant really explain it, we just know that God is good and God is accomplishing what is good in the pain."
- Matt Chandler, Pastor of the Village Church
- Matt Chandler, Pastor of the Village Church
4.06.2011
it's time.
Your Texas Rangers are 6-0. Only 152 games left for the perfect season.
It's time.
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Magazine/2011/April/Texas_Rangers_Manager_Ron_Washington_Do_What_He_Do.aspx?page=1
It's time.
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Magazine/2011/April/Texas_Rangers_Manager_Ron_Washington_Do_What_He_Do.aspx?page=1
3.25.2011
My Generation
While this is kind of cool, my generation better be known for something other than this.
3.24.2011
words i live by.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
i love those words. having a degree in journalism, i can't actually tell you how many times i had to recite this in college. it is actually written on the wall just inside the entrance of Gaylord Hall on the beautiful campus of the University of Oklahoma. a building i spent about 1,000 too many hours in. but every time i walked in. i looked at this...
Those 45 words are, in my opinion, what make our country great. say what you want, believe what you want, stand for what you want, argue for what you believe is right. it's the definition of freedom. and individuality. and the reason i am able to type these words right now. they are wonderful words. but things like this and this make me wish the words "freedom of speech" were followed by an asterisk that meant "unless you are 100% out of line and crazy".
go find something worthwile to fight for. like a cure for cancer.
i love those words. having a degree in journalism, i can't actually tell you how many times i had to recite this in college. it is actually written on the wall just inside the entrance of Gaylord Hall on the beautiful campus of the University of Oklahoma. a building i spent about 1,000 too many hours in. but every time i walked in. i looked at this...
Those 45 words are, in my opinion, what make our country great. say what you want, believe what you want, stand for what you want, argue for what you believe is right. it's the definition of freedom. and individuality. and the reason i am able to type these words right now. they are wonderful words. but things like this and this make me wish the words "freedom of speech" were followed by an asterisk that meant "unless you are 100% out of line and crazy".
go find something worthwile to fight for. like a cure for cancer.
3.10.2011
can't wait to meet you :)
One of my favorites from the Dave Barnes cd I posted about yesterday. If you haven't downloaded it yet, you should!
----
I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
There’s more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
Ill be the flattered fool
and I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
Gave me you.
-Dave Barnes, "God Gave Me You"
----
I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be
But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
There’s more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
Ill be the flattered fool
and I need you
God gave me you for the ups and downs
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
Gave me you.
-Dave Barnes, "God Gave Me You"
This is not ok.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/dkny-smoothies-bike-shorts/3069515?origin=category&resultback=1399
If this is spring fashion...i'm boycotting. bring it on, summer.
If this is spring fashion...i'm boycotting. bring it on, summer.
3.09.2011
Dave Barnes
The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right?
Well, ok...Here it goes...
I can't stop listening to his cd "What We Want, What We Get". It's so good. You should download it. Like, now. Really, it's great. And I'm saying it right now, my husband and my first dance will be to Mr. Barnes.
High five, Dave, high five.
Well, ok...Here it goes...
I may or may notLOVEbe obsessed with Dave Barnes.
I can't stop listening to his cd "What We Want, What We Get". It's so good. You should download it. Like, now. Really, it's great. And I'm saying it right now, my husband and my first dance will be to Mr. Barnes.
High five, Dave, high five.
2.28.2011
see ya, 23.
Today is my last day of being 23. It's been a good year. An interesting year. Lots of change, a few downs, but mostly filled with ups.
i. love. birthdays. here's the part i love about birthdays. The number changes, but you just get better. You're a whole year older, wiser, more experienced. You get to look forward to the next year being the same, and ending up on the other side one year older, wiser and more experienced. every birthday is a celebration of the person you were, the person you are today and a toast to the person you are to become.
So, here's to 24. i hope you are equally as thrilling and as full of blessings as the last 23 years have been.
i. love. birthdays. here's the part i love about birthdays. The number changes, but you just get better. You're a whole year older, wiser, more experienced. You get to look forward to the next year being the same, and ending up on the other side one year older, wiser and more experienced. every birthday is a celebration of the person you were, the person you are today and a toast to the person you are to become.
So, here's to 24. i hope you are equally as thrilling and as full of blessings as the last 23 years have been.
2.18.2011
2.16.2011
cholula makes everything better.
I love cholula. and chipotle. and gchatting with my roomies all day during work. what would i do without them? i wouldn't be solving the world's problems - that's for sure. :)
Kristina: How was chipotle? i had a lean cuisine..it was gross
me: im sorry, what kind?
Kristina: its ok, not your fault - fiesta chicken or something like that
me: oh yeah that one isnt that good haha
needs lots of salt
and tony's
or cholula
Kristina: yes cholula would have made it much better - it was a little dry
me: cholula makes everything better
Kristina: yes, in terms of food - too bad it doesnt apply to life situations
me: hahaha it might, we should try it
Kristina: yeah it could - like the kickball team last night - that guy that yelled at bec, i should have poured cholula on him
me: hahaha totally wouldve solved the problem
Kristina: exactly.
Kristina: How was chipotle? i had a lean cuisine..it was gross
me: im sorry, what kind?
Kristina: its ok, not your fault - fiesta chicken or something like that
me: oh yeah that one isnt that good haha
needs lots of salt
and tony's
or cholula
Kristina: yes cholula would have made it much better - it was a little dry
me: cholula makes everything better
Kristina: yes, in terms of food - too bad it doesnt apply to life situations
me: hahaha it might, we should try it
Kristina: yeah it could - like the kickball team last night - that guy that yelled at bec, i should have poured cholula on him
me: hahaha totally wouldve solved the problem
Kristina: exactly.
2.15.2011
step by step, day by day!
“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time”
- Abraham Lincoln
i found this quote today while trying to pass the never ending 4 o'clock hour at work (thank GOD for StumbleUpon!). i just really, really love it! it reiterates that life has to be lived one day at a time. sometimes thinking too far into the future can be scary - where will i be in 5 years? 10 years? but what's so scary about just 24 hours? nothing.
bring it on wednesday!
- Abraham Lincoln
i found this quote today while trying to pass the never ending 4 o'clock hour at work (thank GOD for StumbleUpon!). i just really, really love it! it reiterates that life has to be lived one day at a time. sometimes thinking too far into the future can be scary - where will i be in 5 years? 10 years? but what's so scary about just 24 hours? nothing.
bring it on wednesday!
2.08.2011
Surrender
"Sometimes what seems like surrender isn't surrender at all. It's about what's going on in our hearts. About seeing clearly the way life is and accepting it and being true to it, whatever the pain, because the pain of not being true to it is far, far greater." —Nicholas Evans
1.26.2011
The Wedding Dress
I've been laughing at little things God has been telling/showing me lately. It amazes me that he knows exactly what I want, even when I don't.
It reminded me of shopping for my best friends wedding dress. Going into the first shop, she wanted nothing to do with strapless dresses or anything that had beads or ruffles or lace or really any detailing. She wouldn't even try on these dresses. She knew she didn't want those things. The one thing it did HAVE to have was a bow on the back of the dress somewhere. I was really afraid that this dress did not exist and we were in for a long, LONG dress shopping experience with one of the most indecisive people I know (LOVE her, but she's indecisive, and she knows it :)). After trying on about 10 dresses that (somewhat) fit these descriptions, she had settled on one with a bow on the back. The only one with a bow that we had found. I could tell that she didn't love it, but because of the bow on the back, she was convincing herself that this is the one she wanted.
Dont get me wrong, this dress was pretty. And she looks great in anything she wears. But, her mom and I convinced her to go to another shop to try on dresses. I mean, you only get to try on fabulous wedding gowns once in your life, why not have fun with it? So she reluctantly put the first dress on hold, got in the car and we went to the next store. The whole way there she was talking out loud about everything positive thing she could come up with about dress #1. I knew she was still trying to convince herself that dress was THE one. Because of the bow.
We get to the second shop. She picks out AMAZING gowns. Gowns that I knew she would NEVER in a million years actually walk down the isle in: full lace, beading, colored accents, huge ballgowns. Some were in her price range, some were so far out of her price range it was funny. She was having fun putting on all the dresses. And her mom, sister and I were having a great time watching her. Then she put on the last dress and came out into the fitting area. She was in a dress that was straight strapless, had layerd ruffles, was shimmery and had no bow. We all cried. This was the dress she would walk down the isle to Patrick in. It was nothing like the dress she thought she wanted. But it was perfect. Absolutely stunningly perfect.
God does this with every aspect of our lives. He lets us dream up what we think we want, try to convince ourselves that that is actually what we want, and then he reveals to us his amazingly perfect plan that he had all along. And we realize just how great His love for us really is. Sometimes that bow we have to have turns out to be not as perfect as we thought it would be.
It reminded me of shopping for my best friends wedding dress. Going into the first shop, she wanted nothing to do with strapless dresses or anything that had beads or ruffles or lace or really any detailing. She wouldn't even try on these dresses. She knew she didn't want those things. The one thing it did HAVE to have was a bow on the back of the dress somewhere. I was really afraid that this dress did not exist and we were in for a long, LONG dress shopping experience with one of the most indecisive people I know (LOVE her, but she's indecisive, and she knows it :)). After trying on about 10 dresses that (somewhat) fit these descriptions, she had settled on one with a bow on the back. The only one with a bow that we had found. I could tell that she didn't love it, but because of the bow on the back, she was convincing herself that this is the one she wanted.
Dont get me wrong, this dress was pretty. And she looks great in anything she wears. But, her mom and I convinced her to go to another shop to try on dresses. I mean, you only get to try on fabulous wedding gowns once in your life, why not have fun with it? So she reluctantly put the first dress on hold, got in the car and we went to the next store. The whole way there she was talking out loud about everything positive thing she could come up with about dress #1. I knew she was still trying to convince herself that dress was THE one. Because of the bow.
We get to the second shop. She picks out AMAZING gowns. Gowns that I knew she would NEVER in a million years actually walk down the isle in: full lace, beading, colored accents, huge ballgowns. Some were in her price range, some were so far out of her price range it was funny. She was having fun putting on all the dresses. And her mom, sister and I were having a great time watching her. Then she put on the last dress and came out into the fitting area. She was in a dress that was straight strapless, had layerd ruffles, was shimmery and had no bow. We all cried. This was the dress she would walk down the isle to Patrick in. It was nothing like the dress she thought she wanted. But it was perfect. Absolutely stunningly perfect.
God does this with every aspect of our lives. He lets us dream up what we think we want, try to convince ourselves that that is actually what we want, and then he reveals to us his amazingly perfect plan that he had all along. And we realize just how great His love for us really is. Sometimes that bow we have to have turns out to be not as perfect as we thought it would be.
1.18.2011
Make a Move
Lets all pack up and move this year
Slips the liars and disappear
Leave memories for auctionnaires
And those just standing still
They'll miss the taste of wanting you
Call out your name like I still do
But they never said a word thats true
And they only hold you down
And this heartbreak world
Of just imagine
With its tired talk of better days
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake come true
Let's move out of Los Angeles
Just drive until this summer gives
And forget the lies we use to live
'cause we're gone
And this heartbreak world
Of just imagine
With its tired talk of better days
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake come true
And this heartbreak world
Of just imagine
With its tired talk of better days
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make the dream that's barely half awake come true
And this heartbreak world
With tired talk
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake come true
Matt Nathanson - Heartbreak World
Slips the liars and disappear
Leave memories for auctionnaires
And those just standing still
They'll miss the taste of wanting you
Call out your name like I still do
But they never said a word thats true
And they only hold you down
And this heartbreak world
Of just imagine
With its tired talk of better days
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake come true
Let's move out of Los Angeles
Just drive until this summer gives
And forget the lies we use to live
'cause we're gone
And this heartbreak world
Of just imagine
With its tired talk of better days
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake come true
And this heartbreak world
Of just imagine
With its tired talk of better days
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make the dream that's barely half awake come true
And this heartbreak world
With tired talk
And this heartbreak world
Where nothing matters
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake
Come on lets make this dream that's barely half awake come true
Matt Nathanson - Heartbreak World
1.11.2011
His plan trumps mine.
And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. - 1 Corinthians 7:17-24
1.10.2011
I was torn...
I've been thinking about who I want to win the national championship tonight. i really couldn't decide. until i rewatched this...
http://tinyurl.com/2brqo3r
go get 'em tigers.
http://tinyurl.com/2brqo3r
go get 'em tigers.
1.05.2011
1.04.2011
Again, I wish there were more stories like this...
Makes me proud to say Boomer Sooner. Keep it up, Quinton. Follow your heart and keep impacting the places God places you. OKC and Las Vegas will be a better place because of you. I can't wait to hear the places that your heart takes this project. This is WAY better than playing video games.
Oklahoma safety Carter making impact far beyond football field
NORMAN, Okla. -- Quinton Carter's giving career began simply enough. As a child, Carter remembered every family member's birthday, and he never failed to buy a gift. His siblings, an older brother and younger sister, didn't always have such reliable memories. Whenever someone forgot, Carter would take his gift and write all three siblings' names on the "From" line of the tag.
"Even though he paid for the whole thing," said Carter's mother, Sondra. "That's just Quinton."
Still, Sondra Carter couldn't believe her ears two years ago when her son, then a sophomore safety at Oklahoma, announced his plan to start a charitable foundation to help people in his native Las Vegas and in the Norman/Oklahoma City area. Quinton Carter didn't mean he would start a foundation if he reached the NFL or if he used his degree to make millions in business. He would get his foundation off the ground while still in college.
"That's what I enjoy doing in my free time," Quinton Carter said. "It's my recreational activity. I don't play video games."
So when Carter -- who is tied for the lead in interceptions (two) and fifth in tackles (30) on the team ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings -- isn't punishing receivers or going to class, he is designing programs, raising money and promoting SOUL (Serving Others through Unity and Leadership), the 501(c)3 non-profit he founded. So far, Carter has organized two free football camps in Las Vegas and held a Father's Day benefit to thank young, low-income dads for being responsible fathers. On top of that, he mentors a quintet of boys from Oklahoma City and makes weekly visits to a KinderCare facility in Norman, where the preschoolers call him "Mr. Q." When Carter was named to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team last month, his tiny friends from KinderCare rushed the stage to celebrate with him.
Carter's plans for the future are more ambitious. He's organizing a free Thanksgiving dinner called SOUL FULL aimed at international students -- and anyone else around OU's campus with nowhere to go for Thanksgiving. By 2012, he hopes SOUL also will help fund a practice in Las Vegas that will offer physicals, mammograms and other basic medical services to low-income citizens.
"In my heart, I think God really put me in a position," Carter said. "Not only is it a dream come true, but I'm in a position to help others. I'm going to take advantage of my position. There are young guys who have no dreams."
Carter comes by his altruistic streak honestly. Sondra Carter said neither she nor her husband, Clemon, realized it at the time, but they grew up poor. So when their children brought home friends or teammates who needed a hand, the Carters were always happy to provide it. Their middle child obviously took note.
"A lot of his friends went the opposite way," Clemon Carter said. "A lot of people in his school went the opposite way. A lot of people his age went the opposite way. I'm proud he chose the path he's chosen."
When Carter arrived at Oklahoma, he eagerly took part in the athletic department's outreach program. There, he met Cecil Rose, a former Oklahoma track athlete who will receive his Ph.D. in non-profit management later this year. Carter enjoyed the charity work he did through the athletic department, but he wanted to do more. And he didn't want to wait until he made it to the NFL. What if he didn't make it to the NFL? He would have wasted a prime opportunity to help when he had notoriety and a platform as an Oklahoma football player.
Carter came up with the foundation's name himself. Carter liked SOUL because it didn't include his name. "I didn't want my name in it," Carter said. "I didn't want the focus on myself." That attitude, Rose said, is what makes Carter different from the college athletes who pay lip service to community service. "They just do the photo-ops," Rose said. "He's actually hands-on and involved."
At first, Carter's friends and family didn't realize the breadth of Carter's charitable ambitions. "People don't really take you seriously," he said. "You just have to build step-by-step. It took a while for people to look at me and say, 'Man, he's serious about this.'"
That moment came when Carter staged the first Elevated Play Football Camp in Las Vegas in 2009. His uncle, Danny, helped him stage the camp with two weeks' notice, and the event drew 150 players. This year, more than 200 came to a camp that featured instruction from current Cincinnati Bengal and former Sooner Roy Williams as well as a host of college stars that included former Sooners linebacker Ryan Reynolds.
Growing up, Carter noticed that many of his friends and teammates didn't come from a two-parent home like he did. Most lived only with their mothers. So Carter has made it a priority to provide a positive male influence to boys from single-parent homes. His group from Oklahoma City includes five boys from single-parent households. Sometimes Carter takes them swimming. Sometimes he takes them bowling. Sometimes, the boys just hang out with Carter and his teammates. "A lot of young kids that came to the [Las Vegas] football camp are from areas with no role models," Carter said. "The kids I mentor in Oklahoma City, same story. They really don't have any positive male role models."
Carter launched his Gaining Ground program after he began working with Central Community Action, a branch of the United Way that provides housing to low-income families. Carter noticed that families appreciated when organizations donated Wal-Mart gift cards and other handouts, but he wanted to make a greater impact. So he and Rose organized a Father's Day event to say thank you to dads who made the effort. Spencer Stone Co., a Nicholls Hills, Okla., clothing store, donated suits. Some of the men, Rose said, had never worn a suit, much less been custom-fitted for one. "Even if I get a suit, where am I going to wear it?" Rose remembered one man asking. Carter had that taken care of, too. Cheddar's and Charleston's, two local restaurants, donated lunch. "It's rare to have fathers in their children's lives nowadays," Carter said. "It's an appreciation thing. That'll be annual as well."
While most aspiring professional football players dream of what they can buy with their signing bonus, Carter dreams of what he can pump into SOUL. If football brings him to a new city, he said, he plans to start another slew of SOUL programs in his next hometown.
Clemon Carter can't wait to see what his son dreams up next. "Some people won't accomplish in two lifetimes what he did in just a couple of years," the proud father said.
Quinton Carter doesn't think about his calling in such grand terms. Though his mind never stops spinning out new ways to help, his motivation remains constant. "It's simple," he said. "If I can touch one person and change their future and they can grow up and touch one person and change their future, that's all I'm shooting for."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/10/22/quinton-carter-oklahoma/index.html
Oklahoma safety Carter making impact far beyond football field
NORMAN, Okla. -- Quinton Carter's giving career began simply enough. As a child, Carter remembered every family member's birthday, and he never failed to buy a gift. His siblings, an older brother and younger sister, didn't always have such reliable memories. Whenever someone forgot, Carter would take his gift and write all three siblings' names on the "From" line of the tag.
"Even though he paid for the whole thing," said Carter's mother, Sondra. "That's just Quinton."
Still, Sondra Carter couldn't believe her ears two years ago when her son, then a sophomore safety at Oklahoma, announced his plan to start a charitable foundation to help people in his native Las Vegas and in the Norman/Oklahoma City area. Quinton Carter didn't mean he would start a foundation if he reached the NFL or if he used his degree to make millions in business. He would get his foundation off the ground while still in college.
"That's what I enjoy doing in my free time," Quinton Carter said. "It's my recreational activity. I don't play video games."
So when Carter -- who is tied for the lead in interceptions (two) and fifth in tackles (30) on the team ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings -- isn't punishing receivers or going to class, he is designing programs, raising money and promoting SOUL (Serving Others through Unity and Leadership), the 501(c)3 non-profit he founded. So far, Carter has organized two free football camps in Las Vegas and held a Father's Day benefit to thank young, low-income dads for being responsible fathers. On top of that, he mentors a quintet of boys from Oklahoma City and makes weekly visits to a KinderCare facility in Norman, where the preschoolers call him "Mr. Q." When Carter was named to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team last month, his tiny friends from KinderCare rushed the stage to celebrate with him.
Carter's plans for the future are more ambitious. He's organizing a free Thanksgiving dinner called SOUL FULL aimed at international students -- and anyone else around OU's campus with nowhere to go for Thanksgiving. By 2012, he hopes SOUL also will help fund a practice in Las Vegas that will offer physicals, mammograms and other basic medical services to low-income citizens.
"In my heart, I think God really put me in a position," Carter said. "Not only is it a dream come true, but I'm in a position to help others. I'm going to take advantage of my position. There are young guys who have no dreams."
Carter comes by his altruistic streak honestly. Sondra Carter said neither she nor her husband, Clemon, realized it at the time, but they grew up poor. So when their children brought home friends or teammates who needed a hand, the Carters were always happy to provide it. Their middle child obviously took note.
"A lot of his friends went the opposite way," Clemon Carter said. "A lot of people in his school went the opposite way. A lot of people his age went the opposite way. I'm proud he chose the path he's chosen."
When Carter arrived at Oklahoma, he eagerly took part in the athletic department's outreach program. There, he met Cecil Rose, a former Oklahoma track athlete who will receive his Ph.D. in non-profit management later this year. Carter enjoyed the charity work he did through the athletic department, but he wanted to do more. And he didn't want to wait until he made it to the NFL. What if he didn't make it to the NFL? He would have wasted a prime opportunity to help when he had notoriety and a platform as an Oklahoma football player.
Carter came up with the foundation's name himself. Carter liked SOUL because it didn't include his name. "I didn't want my name in it," Carter said. "I didn't want the focus on myself." That attitude, Rose said, is what makes Carter different from the college athletes who pay lip service to community service. "They just do the photo-ops," Rose said. "He's actually hands-on and involved."
At first, Carter's friends and family didn't realize the breadth of Carter's charitable ambitions. "People don't really take you seriously," he said. "You just have to build step-by-step. It took a while for people to look at me and say, 'Man, he's serious about this.'"
That moment came when Carter staged the first Elevated Play Football Camp in Las Vegas in 2009. His uncle, Danny, helped him stage the camp with two weeks' notice, and the event drew 150 players. This year, more than 200 came to a camp that featured instruction from current Cincinnati Bengal and former Sooner Roy Williams as well as a host of college stars that included former Sooners linebacker Ryan Reynolds.
Growing up, Carter noticed that many of his friends and teammates didn't come from a two-parent home like he did. Most lived only with their mothers. So Carter has made it a priority to provide a positive male influence to boys from single-parent homes. His group from Oklahoma City includes five boys from single-parent households. Sometimes Carter takes them swimming. Sometimes he takes them bowling. Sometimes, the boys just hang out with Carter and his teammates. "A lot of young kids that came to the [Las Vegas] football camp are from areas with no role models," Carter said. "The kids I mentor in Oklahoma City, same story. They really don't have any positive male role models."
Carter launched his Gaining Ground program after he began working with Central Community Action, a branch of the United Way that provides housing to low-income families. Carter noticed that families appreciated when organizations donated Wal-Mart gift cards and other handouts, but he wanted to make a greater impact. So he and Rose organized a Father's Day event to say thank you to dads who made the effort. Spencer Stone Co., a Nicholls Hills, Okla., clothing store, donated suits. Some of the men, Rose said, had never worn a suit, much less been custom-fitted for one. "Even if I get a suit, where am I going to wear it?" Rose remembered one man asking. Carter had that taken care of, too. Cheddar's and Charleston's, two local restaurants, donated lunch. "It's rare to have fathers in their children's lives nowadays," Carter said. "It's an appreciation thing. That'll be annual as well."
While most aspiring professional football players dream of what they can buy with their signing bonus, Carter dreams of what he can pump into SOUL. If football brings him to a new city, he said, he plans to start another slew of SOUL programs in his next hometown.
Clemon Carter can't wait to see what his son dreams up next. "Some people won't accomplish in two lifetimes what he did in just a couple of years," the proud father said.
Quinton Carter doesn't think about his calling in such grand terms. Though his mind never stops spinning out new ways to help, his motivation remains constant. "It's simple," he said. "If I can touch one person and change their future and they can grow up and touch one person and change their future, that's all I'm shooting for."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/10/22/quinton-carter-oklahoma/index.html
1.03.2011
Resolutions.
well hello, 2011! nice to see you. you're looking great so far.
so far, 2011 is off to a great start. minus half of the dallas cab force going on strike and consequently making me walk 2.8 miles home from the west end with rebecca on NYE in heels, in the dark, in 35 degrees, by ourselves, in the middle of downtown dallas, with rebecca's iphone directions on 'walking'...you get the picture...NYE was a blast. actually, looking back even that part wasn't bad. i got to spend the second/third hour of 2011 walking with my best friend in the freezing cold talking about hilarious things. a walk that ended in making velveta shells and cheese at 3 a.m. with salt and pepper, and eating it out of the pot because there was no reason to get bowls dirty and have to do dishes at 3 a.m. a walk that will one day be a "hey remember that time we walked home at 2 a.m. on NYE then ate mac and cheese?" story. and those are the best kind of stories.
a look into my 2011:
Day 1 of 2011: Brunch with my roomies and 3 great new friends, watching football all day (part of the day in 3D, yes, football in 3D), and a Sooner BCS VICTORY!! - I've waiting a long time to say that! and a LOT of laughter.
Day 2: doing literally nothing. sleeping in, lunch @ chipotle with KK, cowboys victory, watching easy a, ordering delivery food with KK, watching more football, ending the day watching ESPN 30 for 30 pony excess (which is a story combining two of my most favorite things: football and journalism) with the roomies and scott. overall, a very lazy day on our amazing white couch, aka the "relaxation station".
Day 3: the bachelor starts (and GREEK!!!!)! which means girl's night is back on. the menu for tonight: chicken piccata (no capers). i'm excited to spend time with my girls and watch bad, mindless tv for a couple of hours.
Day 5: wednesday night dinner: spaghetti carbonara
Day 6: HOUSTON BESTIES COME IN TOWN! anxiously awaiting the arrival of alli, sara and caitlin for cotton bowl (played not at the cotton bowl) weekend.
Day 7: more football
Day 8: highly anticipated wedding festivities of a friend from elementary school/middle school/high school. can't wait. seriously.
Day 14: NORMAN!
Day 15: watching a very dear friend from college walk down the isle with his bride.
...like i said - i'm really liking the way 2011 is starting. lots of things to be excited about and look forward to. feeling very blessed.
since the turn of the calendar, i have been thinking about my resolutions. historically, i suck at keeping resolutions. so this year i'm going to keep it simple. here is my (highly edited and revised) list of resolutions for 2011:
i feel pretty confident about #2. the others take some effort. #4 takes a LOT of effort, let's be serious. #1 will just take me actually getting out of bed when my alarm goes off (that is, if apple ever fixes the alarm on my phone). #2 is starting with crazy love: overwhelmed by a relentless God by Francis Chan. this is actually helping with #3.
"Have you ever thought about how diverse and creative God is? He didn't have to make hundreds of different kinds of bananas, but He did. He didn't have to put 3,000 different species of trees within one square mile in the Amazon jungle, but He did...How about the way plants defy gravity by drawing water upward from the ground into their stems and veins?...Or what about the simple fact that plants take in carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us) and produce oxygen (which we need to survive)?...Whatever God's reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like...This is why we are called to worship him. His art, His handiwork and his creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him. He is the King of Kings, the Beginning and the End, the One who was and is and is to come..." (Crazy Love, Chan)
hundreds of types of bananas? 3,000 kinds of trees in one square mile? He has thought of everything. try to imagine that. thinking of everything. i forget at least one thing about only my own life daily. he's thought of and planned out our everything. and he has done it all flawlessly. we may not see it as flawless...yet. but one day, i know i will look back and think to myself, 'wow, that was all timed perfectly'. just as he promised.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
no matter what, He has a plan for me. and it is a plan filled with joy and sadness and laughter and pain and happiness. all perfectly timed so that i end up in the place where He wants me. the place that he has been directing me my whole life. with every right decision, every mistake, every relationship, every loss.
that's amazingly comforting.
much more comforting than the thought of drinking less dr. pepper. keeping 3 out of 4 resolutions isn't bad, right?
so far, 2011 is off to a great start. minus half of the dallas cab force going on strike and consequently making me walk 2.8 miles home from the west end with rebecca on NYE in heels, in the dark, in 35 degrees, by ourselves, in the middle of downtown dallas, with rebecca's iphone directions on 'walking'...you get the picture...NYE was a blast. actually, looking back even that part wasn't bad. i got to spend the second/third hour of 2011 walking with my best friend in the freezing cold talking about hilarious things. a walk that ended in making velveta shells and cheese at 3 a.m. with salt and pepper, and eating it out of the pot because there was no reason to get bowls dirty and have to do dishes at 3 a.m. a walk that will one day be a "hey remember that time we walked home at 2 a.m. on NYE then ate mac and cheese?" story. and those are the best kind of stories.
a look into my 2011:
Day 1 of 2011: Brunch with my roomies and 3 great new friends, watching football all day (part of the day in 3D, yes, football in 3D), and a Sooner BCS VICTORY!! - I've waiting a long time to say that! and a LOT of laughter.
Day 2: doing literally nothing. sleeping in, lunch @ chipotle with KK, cowboys victory, watching easy a, ordering delivery food with KK, watching more football, ending the day watching ESPN 30 for 30 pony excess (which is a story combining two of my most favorite things: football and journalism) with the roomies and scott. overall, a very lazy day on our amazing white couch, aka the "relaxation station".
Day 3: the bachelor starts (and GREEK!!!!)! which means girl's night is back on. the menu for tonight: chicken piccata (no capers). i'm excited to spend time with my girls and watch bad, mindless tv for a couple of hours.
Day 5: wednesday night dinner: spaghetti carbonara
Day 6: HOUSTON BESTIES COME IN TOWN! anxiously awaiting the arrival of alli, sara and caitlin for cotton bowl (played not at the cotton bowl) weekend.
Day 7: more football
Day 8: highly anticipated wedding festivities of a friend from elementary school/middle school/high school. can't wait. seriously.
Day 14: NORMAN!
Day 15: watching a very dear friend from college walk down the isle with his bride.
...like i said - i'm really liking the way 2011 is starting. lots of things to be excited about and look forward to. feeling very blessed.
since the turn of the calendar, i have been thinking about my resolutions. historically, i suck at keeping resolutions. so this year i'm going to keep it simple. here is my (highly edited and revised) list of resolutions for 2011:
1. work out 3 times a week.
2. read one book a month.
3. continue to learn how to surrender my fears of the future to my Savior and trust in his all perfect timing for my life.
4. drink less dr. pepper.
i feel pretty confident about #2. the others take some effort. #4 takes a LOT of effort, let's be serious. #1 will just take me actually getting out of bed when my alarm goes off (that is, if apple ever fixes the alarm on my phone). #2 is starting with crazy love: overwhelmed by a relentless God by Francis Chan. this is actually helping with #3.
"Have you ever thought about how diverse and creative God is? He didn't have to make hundreds of different kinds of bananas, but He did. He didn't have to put 3,000 different species of trees within one square mile in the Amazon jungle, but He did...How about the way plants defy gravity by drawing water upward from the ground into their stems and veins?...Or what about the simple fact that plants take in carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us) and produce oxygen (which we need to survive)?...Whatever God's reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like...This is why we are called to worship him. His art, His handiwork and his creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him. He is the King of Kings, the Beginning and the End, the One who was and is and is to come..." (Crazy Love, Chan)
hundreds of types of bananas? 3,000 kinds of trees in one square mile? He has thought of everything. try to imagine that. thinking of everything. i forget at least one thing about only my own life daily. he's thought of and planned out our everything. and he has done it all flawlessly. we may not see it as flawless...yet. but one day, i know i will look back and think to myself, 'wow, that was all timed perfectly'. just as he promised.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
no matter what, He has a plan for me. and it is a plan filled with joy and sadness and laughter and pain and happiness. all perfectly timed so that i end up in the place where He wants me. the place that he has been directing me my whole life. with every right decision, every mistake, every relationship, every loss.
that's amazingly comforting.
much more comforting than the thought of drinking less dr. pepper. keeping 3 out of 4 resolutions isn't bad, right?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
