sports

Stories from the Porch in March

March 27, 2019 by Kristin 24 Comments

Hey, #PorchStories friends! I’ve missed you. So let’s gather together and catch up. Other friends here, welcome! And I hope you stay awhile.

Oh, March Madness, you’re the best – in the basketball sense and in the seasonal sense as days warm up and the world becomes greener. As winter fades, I’m always grateful to live in a place where we truly have four seasons – sometimes in the same week – and get to remember how nothing stays the same.

Before you’re gone, let’s capture these March days.

Highlights

One of our favorite weekends of the year as a family is going to Evansville, Indiana, to watch our beloved Murray State Racers in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Whoever wins get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, so we especially loved watching our Racers win two exciting games to clinch the title. (Here’s a post about how being a sports fan helps me be a better mom. It’s true.)

Of course, we’ve loved watching basketball. Our Racers have never made it to the Sweet Sixteen, but we certainly enjoyed their rout of Marquette in the first round behind the amazing performance of Ja Morant, who’s predicted to go early in the NBA Draft as a sophomore.

We spent another weekend at the lake to celebrate my best friend Jaclyn’s birthday. The weather was nicer than we expected and the six kids who are currently 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, and 3 played outside for hours and hours. Us adults played many games of Settlers of Catan while watching basketball. It was such a soul-refreshing weekend and a good time to get our vacation rental at Kentucky Lake ready for the renters coming this spring and summer.

Favorite things

Jockey Being Family backpacks – My kids had the best time unpacking the personalized backpacks our friends at Jockey Being Family sent them and I was glad to learn more about this incredible foundation that supports adoptive families. (Read more about what their backpacks contained and how we befriended these fine folks.)

California Design Den sheets – I randomly was asked if I wanted to review some sheets and the timing was perfect because I put them on my bed right after the time change during a week when my sleep was especially disjointed. Even weeks later, we still love them. (Read more about them.)

QuiFit water bottle – A friend of mine posted about her enormous water bottle a few times and I was totally intrigued because I needed something to encourage me to drink more water. My friend has the 128-ounce bottle, but I didn’t think I’d haul that around with me so I ended up getting the 64-ounce one. It’s still big to take with me, but it has worked well. After a couple of weeks, I’m drinking every ounce each day. I love the time markers down the side and the words of encouragement to keep on drinking water. It really helps me pace myself throughout the day.

From the bookshelf

“When We Were Worthy” by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen – It’s been on my list for a while and I got nervous about the story starting with teenagers in a car wreck because I’m super sensitive to that sort of thing since becoming a mom. But I’m glad it read it. The story is told well from different characters’ points of view. As the characters process what happened, the reader learns more about one night in a town called Worthy. Suspense and compassion are intertwined in this well-written story.

“He Said / She Said” by Erin Kelly – I found myself staying up late last night, reading while blow drying my hair this morning, and wanting to ignore the rest of the world this afternoon to finish this book. Obviously, it’s a good one. The suspenseful story reflects on an incident 15 years earlier and its ripple effects in present day. Going back and forth between the years adds to the suspense and surprises.

“If God Is For Us: The Everlasting Truth of Our Great Salvation” by Trillia Newbell – I’m working through this six-week study on Romans 8 and really loving it. Two decades ago, God first drew me to him through Romans 8:28, so I’m learning so much about the context of that promise through this study. I wrote a longer review of this book and have a giveaway happening (HERE) this week. Go on and enter, my friends!

On the screen

With March Madness games and plenty of exciting basketball, we are a little behind in our usual shows, but “Blacklist” has been especially good lately. I’m also excited to watch “The Village,” a new show awaiting me on my DVR. My oldest girl and I have been into the “The Voice” and “Survivor.”

How was YOUR March? Tell me all about it!

*****

Saying yes to March Madness

March 21, 2019 by Kristin 3 Comments

Hello, March Madness!

In the winter, we plan our social life around the Murray State basketball schedule. We meet friends for dinner before the games. We have friends who travel with us to a few away games – sometimes in a 14-passenger van we borrow and now my eight-seater Pacifica is an option with another family that most often joins us.

I know sports aren’t everyone’s form of entertainment, but Greg and I both would choose a college basketball game over an art museum, a college football game before a musical at the theater, and a Major League Baseball game instead of any sort of dance recital. We both grew up watching sports, so it naturally became something we did together.

We have season tickets to Murray State basketball and football games. We try to go to a St. Louis Cardinals baseball most seasons. We also like University of Kentucky football and basketball, and occasionally make our way to Lexington for a game.

Then we had kids – and we kept doing it.

But the Racers are our favorites.

I have pictures of Cate and Ben sleeping at MSU basketball games. Rachel doesn’t fall asleep like they did because she doesn’t want to miss anything, but like her siblings, she is learning to spell R-A-C-E-R-S! She recognizes both the mascot and the logo around town. Cate is old enough to have memories of players she’s loved watching and each season becomes more invested and interested. Ben asks more questions about the rules and strategies and loves playing sports. He filled out his first March Madness bracket this week.

With sports come stories of perseverance, achievement, and sometimes loss. In a culture where everyone thinks they deserve a participation trophy, it’s good for the kids to see the world keeps turning after your team loses. And, of course, it’s fun to celebrate with teams we’ve come to know from our seats.

It’s been an exciting season for Racer fans.

Murray State only lost four games in the regular season – two by very few points to Alabama and Auburn, both bigger programs in the Southeastern Conference, and then two to conference foes when our best player was nursing an ankle injury.

Speaking of the best player, point guard Ja Morant has gotten much national attention this year. He’s dunked over people and landed himself and the rest of the Racers on SportsCenter more than once. He’s expected to be among the first few picks in the NBA Draft. He’s been a joy to watch because he truly looks like he’s having the most fun. He celebrates his teammates and this town.

The Racers shared the regular-season championship with Belmont and then went on to beat the Bruins in the conference tournament. With the tournament trophy in hand, the Racers also clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They play Marquette today, and we’re hoping this isn’t the last game for this team that’s been so fun to watch. We wish we were in Hartford, Connecticut to watch, but we’ll be watching from our living room with friends.

Basketball games give me a chance to say yes, introduce my kids to other towns, and let go of our bedtime routine. Naturally, I’m a rule follower who wants everyone to follow my rules, but I’ve had opportunities to give the kids treats and grace. Those things don’t come naturally to me, so being a sports fan has helped me keep perspective on life.

Being a sports fan has helped me be a yes mom
and provided a backdrop for making memories.

{Tweet that.}

March Madness is the best in our sports-loving world. And now we get to root for our favorite team to be the Cinderella of The Big Dance. Pass the popcorn.

Stories from the Porch in January

January 30, 2019 by Kristin 18 Comments

I’m not naturally a winter person, but there’s something refreshing about the fresh start of a new year. January can linger, but it also gives me the chance to regroup and reflect.

One day I was feeling particularly overwhelmed with regular life of parenting three kids in three different seasons, processing news from people we love and from national media I can only take in small doses, and navigating a hard conversation with someone. So I made a list of stressors and joys. Some of the stressors were causing me to react in ways I didn’t want and blind me to the joys. I spent some time thinking about what I could do about the stressors, what I needed to let go of, and what I just needed to accept as well out of my control. Really, it’s an exercise I probably need to walk myself through regularly because it really helped me regain some perspective and live (more) faithfully.

Highlights

We have a group of friends who like to travel to away Murray State basketball games together in a 14-passenger van we borrow from a Taylor family business. We went to SEMO in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this month. We stopped at Lambert’s on our way and then enjoyed a good basketball game from our third-row seats. It was a fun time with good people. We have our favorite restaurants in the cities we road trip to, so it’s fun to have these traditions and invite someone new to join us like we did in January.

(Unrelated to basketball, my day in Cape Girardeau also gave me the chance to spend a few minutes with blogging friend Sarah Geringer inside Target. Win-win-win!)

We also went to Martin, Tennessee for another game with our friends, but we ended up taking our own vehicles to that one. But it was still a fun night together cheering on our Racers (and eating at a local BBQ restaurant along the way).

Favorite things

Bacon-wrapped crackers – I know this sounds weird. But it’s a Pioneer Woman recipe, so just trust her and me. I made them (the brown sugar version) for New Year’s Eve and the bowl full were gone well before the new year began.

Steaks cooked in the oven – Not only could I stay warm inside and not fool with the grill, but this recipe was super easy and quick. I used ribeye steaks and made our favorite fried rice to accompany.

Free bagels – Panera gave me a free bagel every day this month. It was a surprise perk on my reward card that I took advantage of most days. My son who likes bagels for breakfast was especially pleased.

Board games with my big kids – On a snow day we had, my husband proposed each picking a board game to play. It was a simple but totally fun idea! I’ve always loved playing board games and am so glad we’re well passed the days of Candy Land. Here are some of our favorites.

The Couch with Mary Carver podcast – My friend launched a fun new podcast. I binged the first few episodes and was immediately ready for more. Mary does a wonderful job finding truth in unexpected places, including TV shows, books, movies, and ordinary life. (Learn more about it here.)

#HospitalityMatters series – A winter installment is coming to inboxes on Friday, so make sure you’re signed up to receive emails from me. You’ll get weekly-ish emails from me, a free guide about how to serve in your community with your family, and a couple #HospitalityMatters emails each season.

From the bookshelf

“Rock Needs Rivers: A Memoir About a Very Open Adoption” by Vanessa McGrady – I finished this first book of the new year in two days because I love adoption stories. I was especially happy this was one of Amazon’s First Reads for January.

“The Forgotten Hours” by Katrin Schumann – This book had some heavy storylines, but I liked the storytelling and really was invested in finding out what happened and where the characters would go from there. Happy new year because Prime members got to choose TWO BOOKS for January’s First Reads.

“Letters to the Church” by Francis Chan – This is one of those books I need to keep close even though I finished reading after several weeks because I’m going to consult it for many, many days to come. Francis Chan’s words took me into God’s word, affirmed things I already knew to be true, and challenged me to think about other aspects about church & community. Our small group is working through the accompanying video series and study guide.

“The Sacred Enneagram” by Christopher Heuertz – This book had been waiting on my Kindle for quite some time. I’m glad I finally read it at what turned out to be the perfect time. It was full of some things I needed to hear about myself and those around me. Like this quote: “… when type Ones disentangle themselves from their idealized drive for perfectionism, they realize that everything is already just as it should be; as Father Richard (a type One himself) says, “Everything belongs”—the good, the bad, and the ugly. In this case, perfectionism is no longer a cruel master but a gentle guide back to grounded presence, perfect peace, holy perfection.”

“The Secret Mother” by Shalini Boland – I spent my free moments a couple days this month reading this book that I thought I had figured out but still managed to surprise me. I’m happy this new-to-me author has several more books.

Speaking of books, I also shared how I make time to read. Of course, I have been saving my favorite reads on categorized lists for you.

On the screen

“Safe” on Netflix — I stayed up way past my bedtime the night we had only two episodes left because I had to see how it ended. I’m a longtime fan of Harlan Coben’s fiction books, so I am excited he’s branched out to writing suspense stories for television.

Shows back on the DVR — I’m especially excited to have “Manifest,” “Blue Bloods,” “New Amsterdam,” and “Madam Secretary” return.

How was your January?

*****

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