A GREAT READ and SOME NEWS

I have spent the evening watching the RED CARPET and then the ESPYS, hoping that maybe my boy would make an announcement. Instead he gave the most gut wrenching beautiful award of the evening. I did not know the story of Coach Ed Thomas but I know there was not a dry eye in the Nokia theater nor one in our house when the video ended. I am sure you can google it if you missed it...Coach Ed Thomas. What an amazing family with a story of supernatural forgiveness. I want to read more about it. Brett's Dad was a high school football coach at a small high school in Mississippi,so he was the perfect person to present the award.
WHEN Brett WON PLAY OF THE YEAR, that AMAZING, YOU HAVE GOT BE KIDDING PASS to GREG LEWIS, he had a PERFECT opportunity to say "I'll be back", but as my husband said, that's not Brett to take the focus off the awards...I know that opens me up for some differing opinions. Truth is most of you probably do not care. I have told you before I am a FOOTBALL ADDICT! And I am not looking for any drugs to control the addiction. Some of you COOK, I watch FOOTBALL! Some of you understand recipes, I understand football...well as much as any woman. I think it's fun that we like blogs that have nothing to do with our own loves. I love reading about all you GREAT COOKS, GREAT GARDENERS, GREAT PROJECTS DOERS (not sure that's a word) YOU DO BIG PROJECTS FROM PRACTICALLY NOTHING, and GREAT BLOGGERS...I am non of these. My only claim to fame is GRAMMY...and maybe a few Christmas trees.

I am reading the best book, actually thought I would finish it last night, but had two littles spending the night. It was just released yesterday and I have not been able to put it down...I am going to stay up until I finish it tonight. It is Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy's story! In A HEARTBEAT

This is the story of the family that THE BLIND SIDE was taken from. That was the movie version, this is the whys and how it happened. This just adds their story of how THE BLIND SIDE really happened. They are now close friends with Sandy (Sandra Bullock) and Tim and Faith.....

I knew I loved Leigh Anne from the interviews back when the movie was in the theaters...Oh, I love her so much more now. She is this gutsy southern woman, owner of an interior design business, full of passion and determined to right wrongs anywhere she can. By the way she does not cook either!The story of Michael Oher grabbed my heart from the first time I ever heard it, long before the movie was released. Being married to a football coach for so many years, I saw so many Michael's! Many that I passed by as I was raising my own kids. Someday I will tell you my husbands story, but he was a ward of the county and adopted by his Junior High COACH when he was 14! Who adopts a 14 year old kid that has been through 20 foster homes and lived on the streets? He did not go on to play professional football, but he did get a scholarship to play football at the University of Arkansas which enabled him to get a college degree plus his Masters Degree. It's a story that is so personal that it's really hard for me to tell. But as many times as I looked away from Michael's or Jack's, my husband always reached out to them. He knew what it was to be that kid with no direction, no family, no purpose. That has defined him everyday of his life since. My son was over today and I was telling him about the book and he said, you know that's really Dad's story too. And he is RIGHT.

I wonder how many Michael's we pass by everyday. This book will make you think and for me it makes me want to act. I want to notice the Michael's, the people that look different, the down and out.

I really do want to make a difference! I want my KIDS to make a DIFFERENCE! I WANT MY LITTLES to GROW UP and MAKE a DIFFERENCE in this WORLD! GOD ONLY KNOWS we NEED DIFFERENCE MAKERS in this WORLD!

Here's the good news! I am going to give a COPY of the BOOK AWAY! I have told you that books are another addiction of mine. Did you realize you are reading an ADDICTS BLOG? I had this thought today....actually I have lots of thoughts everyday, but few worth sharing...It will be about six weeks before I start Christmas posts on my HOLIDAY BLOG! So until THEN, I am going to GIVEAWAY BOOKS and maybe other things on THAT BLOG. That's a GOOD THING for you. I am going to continue documenting life on this one, but you can LOOK FOR MANY GIVEAWAYS on the other blog...MAYBE one a day...I am very convicted that every book shelf in my house and about fifty other places are spilling out GREAT BOOKS. SO I am going to PASS THEM ON.

TODAY was a GREAT DAY. I had all 4 of my LITTLE MEN here at the SAME TIME. (and did not take one picture) Someone hacked into Parker's FB account and I was so MAD and trying to get his password changed..that I forgot the camera. We monitor him so closely and all know his password, and he was so upset, that it would have not been SAFE for the person who did it to be anywhere near me or his MOM. Amanda is determined to find out who it was and I would hate to be them. On a more fun note, I got my hair stylist to put some hi-lights in his hair yesterday...He looks SO CUTE...will post a picture later this week.

I cannot end this post without asking you to continue to pray for ASHLEY ADAMS. THINGS HAVE REALLY BECOME WORSE TODAY. They took her to surgery but really all news is bad news. Tonight I am praying for HOPE and PEACE for Trish and Dave and their other kids. I probably check her site once an hour. I think Trish's blog is the blog I have read the longest. HER little ASHLEY NEEDS A MIRACLE TONIGHT!

AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A SHORT POST...SORRY...EASY WAY to win the BOOK....Just leave a comment...maybe tell me your favorite football player if you like the game. Parker will DRAW on Sunday...And if you have won a recent prize on one of the blogs, I am planning to ship Friday.

A FATHERS DAY GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

I do not want you to miss THIS POST as it is OUR STORY.
It may seem that I have already written a FATHER'S DAY post here. If you have not read the post about Micah and his Dad, it was the one post I have had the most response to since I began blogging. REMEMBER ALL COMMENTS THIS WEEK GO IN THE DRAWING FOR THIS.
But I need to share this new post in order for you to have time to purchase it for some man in your life. I say man but I don't know any MOM that has ever been able to put it down. It is one of those books that you start and cannot put down and before you know it you have read the entire book in one sitting. This is the story of a MAN and his BOY.
It looks like the book is very close to being made into a movie. I am not selling books and my only interest here is just to give you a GREAT gift for some man in your life. I cannot think of a better gift at Father's Day. Regardless the ages of your dad, father, brother, friend, this book is a WONDERFUL READ!
Now I need to give you a little history. I have known this family for many years. Our kids went to a small private Christian school and it just so happens that Pittman and Powell are close together, so Amanda was normally sitting next to COLE. Anyone that reads my blog knows I LOVE football. Cole Pittman did too and he was GOOD. Real good. I don't want to tell you too much about him, though I could, but it will be much better told by his Dad in the book. Cole was one of those kids that was always polite, always willing to talk football with me and a kid that I could not wait to follow not only his college career, but there was no doubt there was a pro career in his future. After high school Cole headed to Austin to play for the Longhorns. I am going to leave the story here, so you can read the rest in the book. It is NOT just a football book, it is a LIFE BOOK!
On a Monday afternoon, February 26, 2001 I was watching TV and ironing and my phone rang.

It was Amanda and all she said was Mom "Cole is dead"! Some things you just never forget. The next few days were a blur. I remember Coach Mack Brown and the Longhorn football team flying to Shreveport for the funeral. I remember at the burial, them turning to leave and then turning back and facing Cole's family and spontaneously singing "The Eyes of Texas"! The real story I want you to read in his Dad's words. This is so much more than a football story. This is a story of love, love wars to be exact.

Below is Marc Pittman, Cole's Dad! This was a father and son that were BEYOND CLOSE. Marc began to write and those writings became a book. He actually shared the manuscript with me early on and I can still remember reading it on a plane while flying to California on vacation. I knew it was a book EVERY PARENT needed to read.
You can read more about the book and even order it HERE at Raising Cole. There are some excerpts from the book along with some reviews. Marc has spoken all over the country sharing the book. He is as captivating as a speaker as he is as a writer. But MOST OF ALL he is a MAN that loved his SON.