Happy Valentines Day Mrs. McGoo

I'm not much for specific days to celebrate one thing or another because my thoughts are that we should celebrate every day like it's the last.

However, because of the day, I decided to take time and look back and reflect on and appreciate the special someone in my life.

If anyone knows me, they know I'm a constant work in progress (I know, understatement of the year) and it has taken a special person to put up with me this long - and we're just getting started. I'm so thankful for the wife that God has given me. Years back, I thought one or two girls were "the one" but the good Lord said, "Nope, Kelly, you don't have a clue how good you'll have it. So you're going to have to deal with the fact that I'm not giving you what YOU think YOU want. I'm going to allow you to hurt a little bit NOW for the sake of you knowing what TRUE love is later."

And you know what, he was right. I hurt some way back when. But just like in every other area of life that God has guided me through, he showed me a path to something even more incredible than I even could imagine. You know the phrase, "God knows us better than we know ourselves?" Yep, it's true. He brought me someone I couldn't even imagine existed.

God brought me someone to love me for all the good things and all of the (many...ok, TONS) of bad things about me.

So today, I give THANKS to my Lord for blessing me with my beautiful bride, wife, best friend, and cutie pie...Mrs. McGoo.

Just like the Lord, Mrs. McGoo takes care of me and is in it with me til the end. She pays attention to detail, doesn't forget about the small things, enjoys having fun, is incredibly beautiful, and most of all, is a God-fearing woman.

I think we call that a Proverbs 31 kinda gal.


Happy Valentines Day Mrs. McGoo. I sure do think you're purdy

Kansas Going Old School

This was taken from a blog I read. Pretty funny and creative way, if you asked me, to keep your athletes in check.

"In a story that couldn’t be funnier if we made it up, Kansas seems to have employed a senior citizen watch brigade to improve its system of checking on athletes’ attendance to their daily classes. The force is in charge of signing in players when they come to class and making sure they stay for the whole period, although I’m sure most of the athletes would agree it’s pretty easy to sneak out during one of the handful of bathroom breaks the spies take during a given class. The school is using the old folks because the traditional class checkers, who were almost always students, were too easily struck by the celebrity of their assignments and could be ‘convinced’ to let players slide on their attendance. Senior citizens are apparently above being wooed by the high-profile athletes they track, although anonymous reports indicate that several of them are open to offers of ‘mashing up my peas’ and ‘turning the volume up on the TV,’ so it remains to be seen if the new system will really be any better.

There are drawbacks, however, like when the senior citizens end up in the wrong place on the wrong day or, you know, can’t actually see the players:

"Some checkers say their vision isn’t quite what it used to be, either: Except for the offensive linemen, it can be tough to pick the athletes on their lists out of a crowd.

On a recent morning between classes, the checkers gathered at a campus dining area called the Underground to familiarize themselves with the images of the athletes in their blue binders that had to be checked in the next period. A debate ensued over the distinguishing characteristics of “a medium-sized white kid” on the football team, though the checkers did manage to agree that “he was a nice-looking boy.”

…

Being an elderly class checker does have some downsides. Senior moments can be inconvenient: Jerry Robinson, a 67-year-old retired child psychologist, says he has waited for hours outside eerily quiet classrooms only to realize later he was in the wrong building or had confused the days of the week."

The newer, older accountability measures even go so far as to monitor the athletes during their classes, making sure they don’t spend class time texting or doing whatever else the kids are doing by observing them through the classroom windows, which I’m sure isn’t weird at all. Evening classes seem to be the only hope for those trying to avoid the everpresent eyes of the watchdogs, although tuning a nearby TV to ‘Bonanza’ will usually distract them long enough to make an exit. There isn’t really a point in telling you all this, but these old people jokes pretty much write themselves and laughing at Kansas is always a good time. That’s it though. As you were."

I could see some poor ole SAP doing this. Seems to fit right up his ally

Happy Anniversary

Being that I'm back in college now, I'm privy to most of the ins and outs of college students and what they deal with day in and day out. Heck, I can sit back in class and watch everything they don't do (take notes and listen) and witness everything they do-do (chat on facebook, look at people's profiles and pictures {aka - creepin}).

That makes today a special day. It is a "birth" day of sorts. Not really anyone important, but more of a "thing." Today is the 7th anniversary or birth of Facebook.

Seven years ago a little dork of a fella launched a site on the web that would not only change his life, but college students, and people all over the world. What began as a way for dudes to creep on girls, chat with friends during class, and poke a random person has evolved into something so much bigger. Now you can still creep on girls, chat with friends during class, no one uses the poke button anymore, and everyone can see or read about the dumb mistakes you made two nights ago. Facebook has turned the weeks after spring break and Halloween into a college dude's creeping session and a college girl's worst nightmare.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen girls talk about how stupid they were on a specific day or night and how they regret taking 'that picture'. Most importantly it has promised anyone who entered college after 2006 will marry a person here or there that will worry their spouse will come across a photo that they wished they didn't see.

With all that being said, Happy Anniversary/Birthday Facebook. You turned a goober into a gazillionare and you're the best thing that ever happened to high school and college students. You just happen to be the worst thing for them at reunions and when they're trying to get a job.

I Don't Care

I don't care. Really, I don't. I am one of those folks that don't care that general education classes are suppose to help round me out and shape me into the person I want to be. Quite frankly, I'm past all that.

Oh, you're wanting to know why I'm annoyed or complaining? Well, that has to do with the fact that I have to take a Literature class and a Landforms class for my major. You remember my degree right? Sports and Leisure Management. So it's natural for someone that wants to go into a field like that to need a background in rock formations and understanding the form of a poem?

They have to be the two most BORING classes that I've ever taken. Sure, you must be laughing at me. I'm laughing at myself honestly. I'm laughing at myself because I'm actually trying to make sense of it all. I'm laughing at how I actually read that stuff and try and understand it.

If the professor would allow me to give the class my REAL thoughts on the Literature I read, maybe it would be more interesting. If the professor would let me build one of those baking soda volcanoes for lab class, maybe it would be more interesting. But until then, how does anyone sit through these classes and actually enjoy them?

No, I'm not interested in knowing why a rock is curved and I'm certainly not interested in reading about a lady who lived in the 1800's would sleep with her dead husband for 20 years (really...that's what I've read) and how that makes me feel. It's stinking gross man, and I don't need a Literature class to culture me in disgusting.

Call me a complainer. Call me moody. Call me old. Call me whatever you want. When it comes to this class...see the first sentence of this blog.

I don't care

Sleeping Alone

I had a first last night. It was the first night I've slept in the guest bed. Yep, been married almost 4 years and never, ever, have I been kicked out of bed. Now, you're wondering, why right? Turns out, it wasn't because I was bad. Actually, I slept in the guest bed because I couldn't stop coughing. I've been reasonably sick with a upper respiratory infection and I've been coughing as many times as my sister-in-law Kelsey has freckles.

Now I certainly don't plan to make it a common thing, but there was something I enjoyed out of having the whole bed to myself. It happens to be a pretty comfortable bed and being able to stretch my legs out, hog all the pillows, and not have cold feet put on my inner thigh, all give one reason to enjoy it.

Mrs. McGoo is, however, not the type of lady that will kick me out of bed though and we aren't the type of couple that would send the other to the couch because of an argument. This must mean I've got a pretty awesome wife and marriage eh?

It also means I've got to get creative when I wanna have a bed to myself. Coughing works.

Back in the U.S.

After almost a day and a half of total travel, I've made it back to Memphis. My trip schedule looked like this...

- Arrive at airport in Addis around midnight Wed for a 2am (4pm cdt - Tues) flight to Istanbul, Turkey.
- Flight was delayed an hour and we ended up leaving around 3:30am.
- Arrived in Istanbul around 7:30am
- 4 hour layover in Istanbul until an 11:30 flight to Chicago
- 12.5 flight to Chicago
- Arrived in Chicago at 3:40 pm cdt.
- 5.5 hour layover in Chicago until 9:15pm flight to Memphis
- Delayed for 45 mins on runway for de-icing of the plane.
- Arrived in Memphis around 11:40

All in all almost 36 hours travel from Addis to Memphis. Not entirely fun, but it certainly could have been worse and I was blessed to have good seating, good health, and safe travels.

In the next few days, I'll spend some time reflecting and debriefing with some close friends about my time in Ethiopia and hopefully will get my bearings straight. Right now, I feel a bit off. Not really sick or tired, but my bearings are a little off. Hopefully after a few days of rest, I'll feel better.

Thank you for all the prayers and support Mrs. McGoo and I received while we were away. It was one of the toughest times I've ever had to endure and really felt blessed to have so much encouragement throughout the process.

New Years Party Ethiopian Style

Happy New Year to my friends and family back in America! Yesterday, I took a day away from the Drop in Center to rest and get my barring’s straight. I was able to get a good bit of reading done and also worked a little bit from the guesthouse on the sports ministry. I also got invited to go to a SIM New Years party that ended at “Missionary Midnight” (9pm) over at a school for missionary kids. It was pretty cool, as they had some good food and some games for all the kids. I told Mrs. McGoo that all my single friends need to become missionaries and move to Ethiopia. Apparently being a teacher at a school for missionary kids requires you to be single and attractive. I counted at least a dozen twenty something single ladies that, at home in Memphis, my friends would have been fighting over.

Anyway, I stayed away from playing any games as I didn’t really know anyone there and it seemed like everyone was kind of cliquish. But I reluctantly joined in when one team needed another player for dodge-ball. Well, as luck would turn out, I won. Not only did I win, I crushed some girl in the face with a ball and put her out of the game. It was kind of like that scene in “Meet the Parents” when Gaylord Focker is reluctant to play water volleyball, but after some coaxing, he plays and slams that ball in the girls nose, drawing the ire of everyone. Yeah, that’s how I felt. I just don’t do 50%. If you want me to play, I’m going to play and I’m going to try to win. Mrs. McGoo can tell you, I’m a sore loser and thus, I want to win badly.

The theme of the New Years party was “Redneck New Years.” The hosts of the event were missionaries from Alabama and Kentucky, so naturally, I fit right in. When I came to get my reward for winning, they presented me with a snickers bar and asked me to give a speech. Keeping in mind that the theme was redneck new years and the majority of people there were from other countries, I gathered myself, held the snickers up like a sword, and in the most redneck (normal) voice said, "I cept this ward on behalf my baby mamma who ain't hur. She left me while back to head back yonder and tend to the kitchen. While she's here in baby Jesus Holy Spirit, she ain't here no mo, so I'm eatin' it all by meself.”

Crickets.

I did get a good laugh from the two hosts, but other than that, people looked at me like I’d lost my mind. So I took my snickers and sat down. Like McNulty says, “Can’t all be winners Kelly.” Unfortunately, I thought it was pretty good, but to the Aussies, South Africans, and other folks from around the world, they didn’t. In their eyes, I’d crippled a girl’s face and now made a joke about my baby mamma and the baby Jesus. Needless to say, I kept to myself the rest of the night. Anywho, I had fun.

When I got home, I stayed up and talked to Mrs. McGoo for a bit and then headed to bed. I was awoken around midnight by loud gun fire. No, not really, but that’s what the fireworks behind our guesthouse sounded like. I tried seeing them, but couldn’t, so I was subjected to 30 mins of loud and I do mean loud fireworks. Then I went back to sleep…for an hour. About 1am I was woken up by 6 kids in a room next to me jumping off their bed, talking loud, singing, and every other noise you could imagine. This went on for about 45 mins or so. I kept thinking, if their parents (who were out for New Years) knew about this, they’d be pissed. Not so. Around 2:30, the parents came back to the guesthouse and in the process, slammed every door possible, slammed every dresser drawer possible, and didn’t bother to whisper a bit. This went on for another 20 mins or so. It was all I could do to not lose my witness to these folks. I’ve not been that pissed in a long time. So sleep didn’t go very well last night. (Side note – I’m going to blog about my guesthouse experiences soon)

This morning I woke up and went to watch some of the tournament we’re putting on for the kids, and then headed to eat lunch at a really good burger place I found…and had pancakes…Mmmmm. Then we went and watched an Ethiopian premier league match at their stadium here. Pretty cool I must say. We sat in the home side supporter’s area and they sang and chanted the whole time. Until they lost, which, people then came unglued with the home team coach. It was a sight to see. Needless to say, a good finish to a long day. Now it’s bed time…thankfully the family has left and I can, hopefully, get a good night’s sleep.