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?
12.29.2010
2011
It's almost 2011? How? It was just 2005 and I was graduating from high school like...last week. Well with 60 hours left of 2010, I guess it's time to look back and reflect. No job to job #1 to job #2. Spoken for to single. Living at home to living with my best friends in the 278. This and SO much else happened.
I lived.
I learned.
I know myself more now than I ever have.
And because of those last 3, despite all the ups and downs, 2010 will be go down as a happy, successful year.
Here's to 2011 - Bring it on.
I lived.
I learned.
I know myself more now than I ever have.
And because of those last 3, despite all the ups and downs, 2010 will be go down as a happy, successful year.
Here's to 2011 - Bring it on.
Always.
"On Your Side"
Graham Colton
I'm not asking for forever
and I don't need much of your time
I know we can't be together
but you should know I'm on your side
It's where I'll always be
It's alright for you to be scared
I'll drive all night
I'll go anywhere
If someday our stars don't align
We'll go our own ways
You should know I'm always on your side
Could I have treated you better
Something else I could have tried
I don't have to be the one you dream about
but you should know I'm on your side
It's where I've always been
I don't know where you are
but I know where you've been
You're just a small town girl
you didn't care about nothing
I don't know where to start
but I hope that it ends up
with you being happy wherever you are
forever
I'm not asking for forever
and I don't need much of your time
It's alright for you to be scared
I'll drive all night
I'll go anywhere
If someday our stars don't align
We'll go our own ways
You should know it's always
It's alright for you to be scared
I'll stay up all night
I won't go anywhere
If someday our stars don't align
We'll go our own ways
You should know I'm always on your side
You should know I'm always on your side
Graham Colton
I'm not asking for forever
and I don't need much of your time
I know we can't be together
but you should know I'm on your side
It's where I'll always be
It's alright for you to be scared
I'll drive all night
I'll go anywhere
If someday our stars don't align
We'll go our own ways
You should know I'm always on your side
Could I have treated you better
Something else I could have tried
I don't have to be the one you dream about
but you should know I'm on your side
It's where I've always been
I don't know where you are
but I know where you've been
You're just a small town girl
you didn't care about nothing
I don't know where to start
but I hope that it ends up
with you being happy wherever you are
forever
I'm not asking for forever
and I don't need much of your time
It's alright for you to be scared
I'll drive all night
I'll go anywhere
If someday our stars don't align
We'll go our own ways
You should know it's always
It's alright for you to be scared
I'll stay up all night
I won't go anywhere
If someday our stars don't align
We'll go our own ways
You should know I'm always on your side
You should know I'm always on your side
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