Tuesday... almost as good as Friday

When you read this title... you're probably thinking, what in the world is wrong with this girl... Nothing is wrong with me. This semester I got the joy of becoming a Big Buddy.  What does that mean you ask... well... a big buddy is a mentor, for an underprivileged child in grades 1-5.  You get to spend 2.5 hours with them, one day a week and encourage them to work hard in school, to become a better citizen, or pretty much just be there for them.  This organization is  College Mentors for Kids aka CMFK.  I never thought that this program could have such a huge impact on my life... but it has.

The first week, we went to the school to meet the kids on their own turf and meet their parents too so they knew the person that was going to be with the child for 2.5 hours a week.  My little buddies name is Angela.  She is a hoot.  She reminds me a lot of me when I was younger.  She's helped me learn how to be even more patient than I ever thought I could be!

Another great thing about CMFK is the fact that you get to meet people from Purdue from all different majors and backgrounds and you get to become pretty good friends with them.  For example, my little buddy and two guys little buddies are pretty much best friends and they won't be apart.  So, we have gotten to know each other pretty well which is cool because I probably never would have met them if I didn't do this.  Especially since they are management and engineering majors.

So, each week we go on a "field trip" with them. The first week on campus, it was my turn.  Let's just say I was excited.  Terone Johnson is my best friend. He got me in contact with the head of basketball operations for the men's team and we set up a tour of Mackey, the guys were going to read the book of the week to them and talk to them about working hard in school. Let's just say that was adorable.  From dance offs with Robbie Hummel (he can't dance btw) to hearing DJ read and getting stuck on a word, to seeing one of our little buddies stand next to Sandi for a picture. SO CUTE! Let's just say I think I had more fun than the kids did.  At the end of the day, we made thank you cards for each of the players.  All the little girls wanted to make Ryne and DJ's... let's just say they all had little crushes on then.  It was adorable.

Those were just some of the cool things we did while we were in Mackey.  Here is my little buddy :) Isn't she a cutie. :)

Well, I'm sure I will have more to tell you about CMFK at a later date.

For now, as always...
Boiler Up!

I have a new found love for tornadoes

So, obviously I've been a little busy this semester! Good grief... it's been forever since I last posted.

So what going on at Purdue right now?

Well.. I have an exam tonight in Math, hopefully it will go well.  After that, I am going to the Purdue game tonight against High Point.  If it's anything like the last one, it will be a BLOW OUT! I hope it is just like it too :)

So can I just talk about this weekend? It was full of sports, big victories, pancakes, and rushing the field. Can't complain about that.

Let's start with Friday... the first regular season men's basketball game was against Northern Illinois.  Coming in, I was pretty sure it wouldn't be much of a game because of how big it was.  Mackey Rededication weekend, Robbie's return :), and the first regular season game of the year.  The game started off with nothing else but a tre from Robbie! It was like he never missed a beat, even though he actually missed 18+ months... Let's just say after the game we had 14 3's and a 96-34 victory.  No, that wasn't a type-o. We won by 62 points. Biggest margin in Mackey in over 50 years! It was awesome to see Robbie out there too.  Nothing like having 21 points in a mear 20 minutes of play! That's what I call affective!

Oh... and did I mention that there were FIREWORKS... IN MACKEY! Craziness, I know!

Now onto Saturday:

The morning started off with pancakes of all kinds from chef momma.  They were super yummy and the energy those gave us were very helpful in cheering our beloved Boilers onto a 26-23 overtime victory against tO$u who we have a great hatred for.  They are most known for this... Party.  Even though there was much disapproval from some alum.. (couch cough Brian cough cough) We rushed the field.  The pure joy that we felt when we won that game was so great that there was nothing to do except rush.  When you are used to heartbreak all year losing those close games, to finally win one was such a relief we didn't know what to do, so we rushed the field.  I got a picture with the one and only Ricardo Allen

So that was pretty awesome to say the least.  Then, Sunday I spent all afternoon in the library with Bre and Avery.  It's gonna be a busy week, but Thanksgiving is just around the corner! :) 

So today was a pretty special day too.  I got the cool opportunity to go on a self guided tour of the new and much improved Mackey Arena.  So pretty much what it was, was time for us to walk around Mackey with no restrictions... that was pretty awesome! We were watching the guys walk through from the upper part when we hear the tornado sirens go off..... normally, I would have been scared. But I knew since I was in Mackey I would be okay.  But, I also knew that meant we had to go to the "basement" aka the locker room area.  TOOOOO BAD! :) So, when we go down there, we see that the guys practice is almost over! So we go down to the tunnel to see what we can see, and none other than Brian Cardinal! SO COOL! It seemed like he recognized me.  When I saw him, I asked if we could take a picture and he was more that willing.  Then, when I went to put my stuff down, the older lady (okay, she was old enough to be my grandma... she reminded me of her too) started screaming... "OH MY WORD! Do you know who you are?!?!" Brian looked at her and said "Yes ma'am, I'm Brian Cardinal and have been my whole life" hahahha I lost it.  After I was done laughing, we tried to take a picture. For 10 minutes I'm sure.  The same old lady that flipped when she saw him was trying to use my iPhone to take the pic.  We had everything from videos to pictures with Brian's head cut off.  Finally, he just said "Give me the phone" so he took it.  Yeah, Brian Cardinal held my phone. In his hand. No big :) Here's the pic :)

Then, we thought we could leave, but we were wrong. Another tornado warning came out. So, with this time I decided to make another move... let's go sit by there locker room. Who knows what might happen.  You'll never guess who came out the door... none other than Sir Robbie Hummel himself :) I go over and ask him for a picture, and he generously accepts. When this happens, the only person I see around is DJ Byrd... so he takes my phone and takes the pic.  As he takes my phone, he begins to admire my phone case, which happens to be pink.  He then goes to say "OH! I love your phone case." Thankfully, he was just being stupid.  Cause, if not... I woulda been worried.  Here's our pic :) 

After that, I got to meet Dru and get a pic with him and then we got to walk out onto the court. So cool.  Here are those pics. :) 

They also had this really cool interactive thing in one of the exclusive clubs... 

This is how I compare to Robbie hahah

All in all I would say it's been a successful and very busy semester (be watching for a post about College Mentors for Kids soon) Such a GREAT opportunity! I always cherish every moment I have at Purdue and am so glad to share my journey with you....

From Brave to Boilermaker

Until next time... 

Boiler Up!

Speak Up! Anything Small Could Be Big!

While I haven’t had the joys of going to school everyday to keep me busy this summer, I definitely haven’t been bored… between working, visiting friends, and catching up with friends, I feel like I haven’t rested a whole lot.  But right now, I want to help a story that has hit close to home for me.

On June 3^rd, an IU student named Lauren Spierer went missing.  There have been many searches going on and the family is still very hopeful to find her.  The Bloomington Police have worked very hard with the family to continue to search for her, but they need any help they can get… so if you have any ways that you can help, please do so.  They are constantly updating the situation on Twitter, so follow them at @NewsOnLaurenS there is also a Facebook page that is updated quite often as well.  Just follow this link As they have said over and over again, any little thing could be so big.  So PLEASE if you know anything… call 1800-CRIMETV.  All tips will be anonymous. 

If you want to help, like I said go to Bloomington, help search.  But if you can’t… even something simple like putting up this picture will help!

Normally, my blogs aren’t this heavy, but this is something that needs to get out there, and Boilers, just think how we would feel if one of our own was missing!  So help out! 

And for now, as always…

Boiler Up!

HFLS!

The Saddest Night in Mackey Arena and the One Missing Out

 

The final night in Mackey Arena for the 2010-2011 season was one full of emotions.  For everyone involved.  It was the last time we were going to see E’Twaun and JJ play in Mackey.  This was the last game of the season.  This was a season we would never forget.  With a win, we would go undefeated at home for the first time since 1969.  But most of all, it was sad.  Because 1/3 of the brotherhood wasn’t going to walk out on Mackey Arena one last time with his brothers; he wasn’t going to get the feeling of going out there with the group of guys he came in and played one more time.  For Robbie, this was going to be a tough night.  I know exactly how he felt too.  Knowing that you couldn’t go out there and play your last night.  That is the worst feeling in the world.  While the rest of your class is enjoying playing on the court for the last time, you are standing off to the side.  Trying not to be emotional, because it is so exciting for them that you don’t want to take the importance off of them, but you can’t help the feelings you get inside of you. 

Before the game even started, I was tearing up.  Just knowing that I was walking into Mackey for the last time with E’Twaun and JJ out on that court, I didn’t know how to deal with it.  But, I knew also that it had to be tough on all of the senior members of the Paint Crew.  They have invested 4 or 5 years of their lives in this team.  They have been through the highest of highs and lowest of lows with this team.  They never walked away.  No matter what.  Reading the scouting report, it brought tears to my eyes.  Mike wrote it.  This was his last one- he made it good. 

It was game time.  There were so many emotions throughout the whole stadium.  People got there early.  People were on their feel when they came out one last time.  You could just see the looks in E’Twaun and JJ’s eyes.  They were ready for this night.  They were going to make it the best they could.  They were ready to shine one last time.  They had accomplished so much in their careers at Mackey.  So many records had been broken, Sweet 16’s had been accomplished, Big 10 Tourney Championships had been won, Big 10 regular season championships had been won.  Now, there was only one thing left. - Getting an undefeated season at home.  It wasn’t going to be an easy task.  Illinois was a team on a mission.  But, I knew that no matter how much they wanted to beat us, the guys wouldn’t go out with a loss.  But, for the first half of the first half, we were playing with so much emotion.  Too much emotion.  Illinois was all over us.  They couldn’t miss and we couldn’t hit.  I was a little nervous.  But I knew with JJ and E’Twaun as the head, anything was possible.  Boy, was I right.  JJ took over, and then E’Twaun in the second half.  He was on fire.  We started to pull away; and with 2.1 seconds left in the game, the guys got what they deserved.  They got a standing ovation from the crowd.  I got a little teary eyed.  I knew this was the last time I was going to get to see them play in Mackey.  I couldn’t help but look over at Robbie during all of this, and he had a smile on his face, but I could just tell he was wishing that it was him.  He wanted to be getting that standing ovation.  He wanted to have that moment with those guys. 

But, he didn’t.  So he was as okay with it as he could be.  But I knew that after the game was going to be even harder.

We got the win, making this the first undefeated season at home since 1969.  Just another thing to put in the memory book for E’Twaun and JJ.  The game was over, now for the hard part.  Coach Painter called out all of the cheerleaders, managers, and finally E’Twaun and JJ.  But, there was someone missing.  Standing in the line with the rest of the players, there was Robbie.  I knew how bad he wanted to be out there with those guys, he had spent 4 years of his life with these guys, they were brothers.  He was having a tough time keeping it all in.  You could just tell.  Robbie went over to T’Twaun and JJ’s parents during the ceremony, and you could see their mom’s telling him that he should be out there with them.  I’m sure that didn’t make it any easier on Rob.  But, he kept it together.  After the ceremony was over, the 3 guys came over in front of the Paint Crew and took pictures.  I snuck down there so I could get one of them, and as they were walking away, I turned my poster around.  It said “Final Four for #4”.  I yelled at Robbie so he could see it.  He had a look on his face of sheer appreciation.  He looked like he was getting ready to cry.  He said thanks, I love it; and walked away.  E’Twaun stayed around and was signing anything he could get his hands on.  That was awesome.  He took my poster right out of my hand and read it.  Told me that it was awesome how I didn’t check off the Final Four spot yet and signed it and then gave it back.  That was pretty awesome.

 

JJ waiting for his moment

 

 

 

Just another night full of great memories in the books while I am transitioning from Brave to Boilermaker.

Birthdays, signs, and ESPN

Thanks to a tweet from the Paint Crew, the IU game became a game I will NEVER EVER EVER forget!

It all started out when I was trying to come up with a creative sign for the IU game.  And I couldn’t because there is NOTHING creative to say about iu.  So I googled Purdue shirts making fun of iu and one that said “You can’t cheer for a rock unless you are as dumb as a rock” came up and I sent that to Brian.  That turned into Our Rock (The moon—Neil Armstrong… NBD) is bigger than your rock.  Yes, I know the rock is from football.  But that didn’t matter because the real sign came on the other side… on Tuesday… at about 3; and I had to be at Mackey at 3:30.  Let’s just say that was interesting.  The tweet came through about 10:30 on Tuesday.  It was JJ’s birthday.  I knew I had to make a sign since I was the 5^th group.  I knew I was going to have awesome seats. 

Before the game, I am in Mackey putting out scouting reports on seats, and just taking in the images of Mackey.  Empty.  That is something that I will never forget.  The first time I went into Mackey and NO ONE was on the court.  The lights were down.  Wow.  It was quite an experience.  But, as I am putting out the sheets, Tom comes in and says you need to get out here, your group is getting ready to come in.  I asked him if I could just stay in there, he said no.  But that was okay.  I knew where I wanted to sit, and I thought I could get there with the number we were.  I was correct.  I may have jumped down the last three steps, but I wanted that seat.  I was right on the edge of the cut out.  Right next to Tom.  Perfect.

As the rest of the Paint Crew is coming in and we are sitting there before the game, Brian gives me an awesome idea.  Go get a sharpie.  This is the one chance I am going to have to have JJ sign a sign that I made.  “He might do it, it’s worth a try.”  So I went into Heather’s office, and I got a sharpie.  Ran back in because we were singing to JJ.  I held up my sign, he made eye contact.  I knew he saw it.  That was a good thing. 

Someone is walking over to me; I don’t know what they want.  But I could tell they were from some TV crew.  But, I didn’t know which one.  She asked me how I would feel about having my sign on the 6 o’clock news for Channel 18 news.  I was game.  So, not only was I on TV because of the sign, but some of the people around me were too! 

The game starts.  We come out and beat iu.  Big surprise right?  IF we didn’t beat iu on JJ’s birthday, I was going to cry.  As per usual, the team comes over to the Paint Crew after the game, and gives us all fives.  This was my chance.  As JJ comes up, I have the sharpie out and he said “I’ll come back and do it in a sec.” I was cool with that.  But, instead of him coming back, BabyLew (LewJack, whatever you want to call him) came back over and took my sign.  I was kind of shocked.  I was like what are you doing?  But, I was like sure here. Take it.  JJ came and got it and SLAM my sign.  ALL over ESPN.  There were pictures on the ESPN website right after the game. 

It was on the highlights from the game.  It was awesome.  Then, he came over and signed it.  There were pictures of that in the Exponent.  I was a super star!  It was definitely the coolest experience I have had as a Boilermaker so far. 

Even on the bus the next day, Terone Johnson came up to me and said HEY!  Sign girl!  I was in shock that they realized who I was.  That was a pretty cool thing. 

This is just another one of the memories I will have from my first year going From Brave to Boilermaker.

As always,
Boiler Up!

Long days, Cold nights, Awesome days, and Disappointment All in One Week

There aren’t many things I wdiould be willing to stand… or sit in -15 wind chill for; but College Game Day and Michigan State at Purdue University would be one of those.  It all started Friday January 21^st at 1pm.  The lottery for seats started.  I was in class.  Does that mean I was paying attention?  Not all the way… but I was there.  When I got a text at about 1:18 I knew it was good.  Avery texts me and says we got 12^th in the lottery!  Let’s just say I was PUMPED!  I couldn’t wait!  But, I knew that meant we wouldn’t have very good seats for GameDay, which was sad.  But I was willing to sacrifice! 

I knew it was cold.diss  But you don't realize how cold -15 is until you sit/stand in it for 4 hours in 1 day. We were under a ton of blankets, and I'm pretty sure I had like 6 layers on.  But, it didn't help.  I was FREEZING!  But, I knew in the long run it would be worth it, because I knew I would have great seats for the game, which was televised on ESPN; so freezing was okay. On my break I went to grab some dinner and I get a call from Brian as I am sitting there eating that the GameDay crew (Rece Davis, Digger Phelps (Yes, there are roads that lead to West Lafayette, Digger!), Jay Bilas, and Hubert Davis) were up visiting the Paint Crew while we were camping out.  So, what did I do?  I ran up the hill from The Knight Spot to Ross Ade just in time to get my picture taken with Jay and Rece... after Kyle and I chased them down the hill!  :)

Then I got to sit some more.  Audrey and I were there from 6:30-7:30.  And boy did it get cold when the sun went down! :/  So we bundled up and watched Twilight to pass the time!

I got to go back to my warm and cozy bed for a little while... but I was back at Mackey at 5:55AM because they canceled the camping, so we had to be back by then to get in line for the role call for Gameday.  So Jacob and I got there and stood out in the FREEZING cold!  You don't realize how much the sun helps until it isn't there.  Finally we get to go inside for a few minutes and we are greeted with doughnuts!  Such a nice surprise. Especially since I hadn't eaten breakfast yet and we were going to be in Mackey until noon... at least.

FINALLY 7:45 came!  After 18 long hours, it came.  We were going inside for GameDay.  I couldn't believe that it was actually happening until i walked in there and saw the set.  WOW! I knew this was going to be an awesome day! :)  When we walk in I see a row at the very bottom with no one in it, so we ran down there and got them!  I knew we were going to get some face time because of where we were.  Right over the shoulder of Jay.  I knew these were good... but I thought we could do better.  I knew Brian had gotten a wrist band to get in the pit (right behind the GameDay set, on the floor, where the players sit.) So I asked him if we could have one, he said ask someone.  So I asked Chris (the Mackey MadMan) if he wanted to be my BFF and he said why? I said can I have a wristband?  He said for sure!  i'll go get you one.  Come down here girl.  So I did.  I was PUMPED!  But, at the same time, I felt kind of bad because I left Jacob, Caleb and Bre up in the stands... but not for long.  After a few minutes, Tom came down and said we had more wrist bands, go give them to your friends, so let's just say I grabbed 3 and was out of there.  i ran them over to Bre, Caleb, and Jacob and Brian took some over to Brad, Emily, and Rachel.  We were all on the floor!  It was awesome!   

Here are some pictures of the GameDay festivities...

One of the best signs of the day!  Bobby chairs are for SITTING!

we were taking in all of the craziness!

The team gave all of us fives and them went up through the crowd... let's just say we were all a little nervous.  Especially for Robbie and his knee!

Brother and I right after I got a wrist band!

This little boy was like running with Robbie down the stairs! So cute!

Probably my favorite picture of the day!

Once we got pumped up, it was time for the show to actually start.  It was so loud my ears were ringing.  Chris and I were taking turns leading all of the cheers so we could save our voices some for the game.  It sort of worked.

GameDay was one of those once in a life time experiences that I will never forget.  It is something I will be able to tell my grandkids about one day!

Here are some pretty cool videos of the day too.  You will have to look at them sideways though!

Digger dancing!

So after all of the GameDay festivities were over, we had about a 6 hour break before we had to be back in line to go into the game.  So what did I do?  I took a nap and rested my throat.  It sorta worked.  :)

At about 7 we went back up to Mackey to get inline and start the process of getting wrist bands and everything.  It was pretty intense.  It was probably the most excited line we have had all year.  It all started when we were standing there and the MSU bus pulled up.  What did we do? We boooooooooooooed them!  Most of them didn't pay attention, but one thug did.  He decided to show us how he felt about us... it wasn't very nice.

Also before the game we had some visitors.  Dicky V and the Schwab  came over!  i got to shake Dicky V's hand baby!

He is a funny man!

Anyways, when we finally got inside, the game plan was to go behind the officers, but since that didn't work because people were already sitting there, we decided to go 3 rows up on the opposite side.  AMAZING seats!  I was PUMPED!  :)  Brian was talking to me and he told me to come down next to him for a minute and get on TV, so I did... and I was!  People were texting me and writing on my wall that they saw me on TV!  I was pretty pumped!  i had my 10 seconds of fame several times on Saturday!

But right before the game started Tom Izzo came out and was watching them warm up, so I figure, what's the worst that could happen if I scream at him?  So I did.  And I have my sign in the air.  "The Paint Crew Burns a Hole in the Izzone"  I know he saw it.  I got a head shake and a "nope" so that's when the war really started.

He's nervous!

The game began.  I have never heard Mackey that loud!  My ears were ringing!  We got up to 119 on the dB scale.  120 is hearing loss.  That's a little nuts.  We were rocking and MSU could never get started.  It was awesome to see the boys come out with such intensity and passion! 

Even coach Painter got into it!

At the end of the day, I had no voice and the Boiler came out with a huge win over MSU!  I thought without a doubt Tuesday was going to be awesome as we went up to Columbus to face #1 tO$U.

But boy was I wrong. 

99 of my closest friends and I left Mackey Arean at 4pm on Tuesday afternoon.  We didn't get home until 4:15 Wednesday morning.  I thought I would be happy riding home, but I wasn't.  The ride up was long, but fun at the same time.  We had WiFi on the bus and were watching movies so the time seemed to pass quickly.

We finally get to OSU and we get booed as soon as we get outside the stadium.  And we didn't even start it.  We were just singing Hail Purdue while we were waiting on Mike to get our tickets.

Once we finally get them, we begin the treck upward to our seats.  Mind you, we only have about 5 minutes once we get into the stadium to find our seats and get situated.  We made it.  Right before the starting line ups.  It was pretty cool.  It was set up like a NBA stadium tough.

Yeah, that's how high up we were.  But the team could still hear us, because A.  they couldn't even sell out the stadium for the game.  B.  The fans weren't that loud.  and C.  We were CRAZY loud! ;)

Let's just say our excitement didn't roll over into the players.  They came out flat.  They looked like they didn't want to be there.  I was embarrassed and frustrated and shocked.  I had never seen a Matt Painter team come out so flat.  I think they were coming off an emotional high and they didn't come out ready to play in a hostile environment.  Let's just say I don't remember the score of that game for a reason.  It was bad.

But, they did bounce back against Minnesota on Saturday and now have a tough stretch in front of them until March Madness starts.  We have to prove something right now.  And, I think we are ready!

Until later,

Boiler Up! 

The Power of Just an Hour.

Yeah, I know… it’s been a while.  I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.  I survived my first semester at Purdue!  I got through the joys of dead week… that just makes your dead, and through the wonderful things called finals.  I am just so glad to have my first semester of college under my belt.   Now I feel like I know what to expect.  I got through my first semester of juggling everything.  I know how I need to manage my time now.  I know the ins and outs better.  I don’t feel so overwhelmed all of the time.  It’s so nice! :)

Now we are getting back into the grove after being off for 3 weeks, which was much needed, I was ready to get back to it.  Ready to get back to West Lala to see everyone and get Block 1 under way.  Even though I am taking 18 hours this semester, I think it’s going to be great!  I am really excited about my classes.  I think they are all going to be really good and HELPFUL for my major, which is always nice.  I am starting into my Education classes, which make me very excited! :)  Another great thing is, I am done by 1:30 at the LATEST!  This is so much nicer than being done at 5:30 everyday.  That was awful!  Since I am getting done so early, I can get my homework done in the afternoons which gives me more free time at night, meaning we can do fun stuff. 

Which bring me to this past weekend.  It had to be one of the best/most uplifting/fun weekends I’ve had in a while.  We had our first Friday Night Bible Study of the semester.  Justin did an awesome job and there were so many people there; it’s so great to see so many people wanting to learn about God! It’s such an encouragement!  After the study, Katherine Long, Michael Eldridge, Bryan Dallas, and I came back to my dorm and watched Marley and Me.  Such a great, but sad movie! 

Then on Saturday we got up early to head over to Avery’s house before going to the Connor’s to help them move.  Avery decided to have everyone come over before for pancakes; so Avery and I started cooking… let’s just say that was interesting.  Quite fun actually.  We were cooking for 5 hungry boys, and like 6 girls… so we made a lot!  The sad thing was, we didn’t have a griddle.  So, we used 4 little pans. That was funny! Avery was the mixer and the poorer; I was the flipper.  Let’s just say flipping was harder than it looked.  Bit the pancakes were yummy and everyone got there fill, so we went over to the Conner’s to help them move.  That was fun! And we even had a snowball fight after! :)

Then Saturday night, we decided to have people come over to watch in Bre’s words the BEST MOVIE EVER! Cool Runnings, but before we could do that, we were brainstorming.  The Michigan State game is next Saturday.  Gameday is going to be there, so we were trying to think of a creative sign to have.  ESPN was going to be there so we were trying to come up with something to go with that, but we couldn’t think of anything that was creative, made since, or the Gameday crew would let us have… so we trashed that idea.  But somehow, I said Paint Crew and Izzone (The students sections for us and MSU respectively) and that turned into this...  The Paint Crew burns a hole in the Izzone” Thanks to Kyle Newton for that! :D
        

Now, for the best part of the weekend… Monday. Now I know Monday is normally never a good day because the weekend is over, but this week… Monday was MLK day, so we didn’t have school.  So instead of sleeping all day or doing nothing, we as the college students decided to go to visit some of the elderly people in our congregation.  Let’s just say this was one of the best ideas we have ever had.  I don’t know who got more out of it.  Us or them.  I know they were super excited to see us, but I know I learned so much from them today.  Some of these people have been widows for YEARS and they still come to church, they still have so much left in them, if we will just go talk to them.  The work ethics that these people have still… WOW.  Just spending less than an hour with these people I learned so many things that I will keep with me forever… one lady told us “If you have a temper, get over it.  Because no one will want to deal with you if you have a temper.”  Just simple things like that that they have learned over the years; they want us to have it better than they did.  The want to tell us their story; they want to help us if we will let them.  I mean I haven’t been able to stop smiling thinking about what we got to do today.  Not because we went out and did something to be noticed… because that isn’t what it was about.  Today was about getting to visit people and be servants to them.  I know they taught me so many lessons today, whether they know it or not, whether they remember us being there or what are names are; I will always remember this day as such a great opportunity that I had to help brighten someone else  day.  And they did the same for me in return.