Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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For the love of the game

January 26, 2012 by Kristin Leave a Comment

My two favorite college basketball teams are having tremendous seasons. Murray State is setting all kinds of win streaks, attracting national publicity, and selling out the arena more than once. That happens when your team is 20-0. Meanwhile, Kentucky returned to the top of the polls this week. The Wildcats have lost only once, for anyone keeping track. Thanks, Indiana, really.

So despite the excitement that has been college basketball season at our house, Greg and I cheated on basketball with a baseball movie last night.
St. Louis Cardinal catchers and pitchers do report in 23 days. But back the movie …

“Moneyball” starts at the end of 2001 season when the A’s lose to the Yankees in the playoffs, which leads them to the World Series. The Yankees go on to lose to the Diamondbacks. And that’s when I really became a baseball fan.

I started paying attention in 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were hitting lots of homeruns. Greg, a long-time St. Louis Cardinals fan, had been working on me to become a Redbirds fan anyway.

But it was the 2001 World Series that really did it for me. Small market team beats the Yankees. It’s a story worth holding on to.I knew I was hooked when I realized I’d watched a seven-game World Series that involved no team I had any previous rooting interest invested.
And then “Moneyball” {that’s what I set out to talk about} continues to the 2002 season. Rebuilding. Cleaning house. Finger-pointing. And then The Streak.
During the real-life streak, Greg and I watched an A’s game live. We were on out honeymoon, partially in San Francisco. We couldn’t get tickets to see the Giants; I think they were out of town while we were in town. So we went across the bay to a football stadium where the A’s also play. It was August, and the streak was just beginning.
I don’t think Brad Pitt was there, though.
“Moneyball” was good. It was a slow-paced movie, but that’s appropriate. It’s a baseball movie, folks. Part of the beauty of baseball is the steadiness with which the story unfolds. Much can happen in 162 games. Just ask the World Series St. Louis Cardinals. The movie is a behind-the-scenes look into the business of baseball.

And it’s worth two hours away from college basketball.

Billy Beane: It’s hard not to be romantic about baseball. This kind of thing, it’s fun for the fans. It sells tickets and hot dogs. Doesn’t mean anything.
Peter Brand: Billy, we just won twenty games in a row.
Billy: And what’s the point?
Peter: We just got the record.
Billy: Man, I’ve been doing this for … listen, man. I’ve been in this game a long time. I’m not in it for a record, I’ll tell you that. I’m not in it for a ring. That’s when people get hurt. If we don’t win the last game of the Series, they’ll dismiss us.
Peter: Billy…
Billy: I know these guys. I know the way they think, and they will erase us. And everything we’ve done here, none of it’ll matter. Any other team wins the World Series, good for them. They’re drinking champagne, they get a ring. But if we win, on our budget, with this team … we’ll have changed the game. And that’s what I want. I want it to mean something.

Baseball season is something special, even though the real Billy Beane is still waiting for a ring. I’d be OK with him getting it one day.

But, first, back to college basketball. Our Racers will try to make it 21-0 in front of a sold-out hometown crowd Saturday against Eastern Illinois. Tip off is at 7 p.m. central for anyone who can watch on ESPN3. Kentucky plays at LSU earlier in the afternoon.

________

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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Before I settle into a school time routine, I want Before I settle into a school time routine, I want to recap summer — my favorite season of the year that, honestly, just didn’t look like I expected & hoped in many ways. Even so, goodness was all around us. 

This was the summer of …
 
Crunch-dipped ice cream Drumsticks 🌼 4/5 of us having strep throat at different times, and Ben having it 3 times 🌼 Six Flags and Kentucky Kingdom 🌼 Venture River season passes 🌼 Plans changing and changing again 🌼 Plan B vacation because Covid is still interrupting plans 🌼 Friends sharing big news — someone’s son was injured, friends moving toward divorce after two decades of marriage, a friend being diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, and a friend’s house flooding in a negligent way. 🌼 Holding onto the good news 🌼 Counting gratefulness 🌼 Celebrating 20 years of marriage 🌼 Reading mostly romance novels because that’s what sounded good 🌼 Traditional summer weekends with some out-of-town friends 🌼 Quiddler, although I can’t seem to win this word game. 🌼 Conversations in our bedroom with our oldest who likes to stay up later than us 🌼 Binge-watching “Yellowstone” 🌼 The easiest, clearest water we’ve had in six summers with a pool despite the leaking liner 🌼 Feelings that reminded me of Social Distancing 2020 🌼 Noticeable growth in my kids, the weeds around my house, and within my own heart.

Most years, I mourn the end of Summer Break, but this year routine & rhythms are returning at the right time. I spent some time this summer grieving some changes in friendships and disappointments with details that were far out of my control. But I also enjoyed life, sunshine, and right where God has me. That reality is helping me be ready for whatever comes next. 

📷: Cate, 15

#livingfaithfully #88daysofsummer #backtoschool #choosingJOY #PorchStories #reallife #momlife #faithlife #summerisbest
At Back to School Night yesterday, I had been work At Back to School Night yesterday, I had been working as the school finance person when I decided to get Rachel from the gym to go meet her teacher. Turns out she had already gone with me to meet her teacher, the only teacher in the whole school I don’t know! I went to her classroom and there she was chatting with Mrs. Mason and playing with some friends. That girl radiates confidence. 

So, with or without me, they’re ready! Bring on first grade, seventh grade, and sophomore year! @ncca.lions 

#backtoschool #momlife #reallife #siblinglove #thirdchild #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully
Strep throat bookended his summer. Literally. He t Strep throat bookended his summer. Literally. He tested positive for strep the first Saturday of Summer Break and the last day of Summer Break. He also had it in June and COVID-19 in July. 

Here’s to being grateful he’s quick to recover, antibiotics work, our pediatrician is our friend, and he won’t miss the first day of school. 

#88daysofsummer #boymom #reallife #summerbreak #backtoschool #choosingJOY
What a perfect day for a back-to-school party for What a perfect day for a back-to-school party for some @ncca.lions 7th grade boys and their siblings! A new student wanted to meet some classmates, so we hosted some friends & made new friends. 

#backtoschool #momlife #middleschoolers #boymom #poolpeople #morethangroceries #bettertogether #siblinglove #88daysofsummer #countryliving
Introducing Backroads and Blooms Photography by Ca Introducing Backroads and Blooms Photography by Cate Taylor 🎉 

Cate has five different prints available as 5x7s or 8x10s and then matted and framed. She has in stock two of each print in each size, but she will order more. 

🖼 5x7s matted in 8x10 frame = $12
🖼 8x10s matted in 11x14 frame = $20

🌵 Cactus
🌸 Pink flower
💦 Daisy with water drops
🌼 Yellow & orange flower
✨ Starburst flower 

Let Cate know in the comments what you’d like to order or message me. Local pickup/dropoff only right now. 

You can send PayPal friends & family to kristinhilltaylor@gmail.com, send Venmo to @KristinHillTaylor, or pay cash at pickup.

#buddingphotographer #momlife #firstborn #entrepreneur #photography #outdoorphotography #naturephotography
I took a break from my work & chores to read yeste I took a break from my work & chores to read yesterday and I’m so glad I did. I had to stay up late to finish it last night. 

First of all, don’t judge this book by its cover, which I don’t like. (I’ve seen another cover for this same book, so I really don’t understand!) 

Anyway, I loved the story of first love and loss and reconnection told in the dual now-and-then timeline. I thought the end was a little abrupt, but maybe that’s just because I wanted a little more about Macy and Elliot. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #librarybooks #88daysofsummer
Today I’m thankful for a productive stretch of t Today I’m thankful for a productive stretch of time making my way through a to-do list, this view from my kitchen window, a little more Summer Break with my kids, a book that has me distracted from other things I “should” be doing, and lots of wide-open space in our day. 

#mondaymotivation #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #countryliving #momlife #reallife #88daysofsummer
We’ve taken our older kids on short-term mission We’ve taken our older kids on short-term mission trips and hope to go on more. They’ve served locally. We support missionaries. We want our kids to be open to wherever God calls them and incorporating missions into our small-town life is one way we, as parents, have hoped to teach that. 

I’m incredibly thankful @hardinbaptistchurch comes alongside us with the same message. The middle and high school @hardinstudents spent the summer looking at different aspects of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Youth minister @cbright2 spent the last Sunday of the series looking at nine practical ways that students – yes, even middle and high schoolers – could participate in and pray about going for God. 

Chase shared these 9 Ways to Go with students' parents, and I asked him for permission to share them with you because even as an adult I want to remember to live on mission – even right where I am. 

9 WAYS TO GO FOR GOD: https://bit.ly/9WaysToGo

#linkinbio #ontheblog #bloggerlife #momlife #churchlife #faithlife #livingfaithfully #missions #missionminded #youth #teenagers #parenting #parenthood
“Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, “Writing is what makes me happy. Writing, even, is how I feel I contribute to the world. Reminding people of what’s important. Letting them escape the harsh parts of life, even if it’s just for a few hours. Helping them feel happiness through watching happily-ever-afters unfold. Remembering truths. Recalling their self-worth. Loving others. Living well. Learning. I want to do that.” 

And, let’s be honest, love stories about writers make me happy too. “Meet Me in the Margins” was cute, predictable, and a good way to escape for a little while. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #authorlife #librarybooks #poolpeople #weekending
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