The Basics of World Cup Soccer

I married into a soccer family.  I thought that I was from a soccer family.  I played from the time I was 10 on and my sister started at 6yrs old. I’d watched World Cup matches and even remember admiring Alexi Lalas and Kobe Jones as America’s hope in the 1990s.  

Alexi Lalas... On the field...

...off the field

But my in-laws...they are real soccer fans.  Like, stay home from work, call each other after every qualifier and friendly and injury update sort of soccer fans.  Not to mention that they are astoundingly skilled player to boot (pun intended.)

Probably the only soccer fans I know who are more dedicated are my sister’s inlaws, who are Brazillian...enough said.  

I’ve assembled a who’s who/ what’s what for myself so I don’t sound like an idiot when watching with my husband and I though I’d share it for anyone who might also need a cheat sheet.  

1. Here is the countries who are playing.  They are divided into 8 groups labeled A-H .  America is in Group G which is also known as the “Group of Death” because both Portugal and Germany usually make it to at least the quarter finals, and Ghana is always a contender too.  

2. “The best soccer player on earth” can refer to any of the following four people:

-Pele- played for Brazil back in the day and is an icon/idol in the futball world.

-Diego Maradona- played for Argentina back in the day and then coached for them last world cup.  Is bat-sh!#$ crazy but some argue better than Pele.

-Christiano Ronaldo- Plays for Portugal and seems to me the Tom Brady of the International Soccer World.  Uggs commercials, supermodels, etc.  Except there is no way that Tom Brady is even close to as conceited as Ronaldo.  (Can you tell he is not my favorite)

-Lionel Messi (he is my favorite)- If you like an underdog you’ll love him.  At 5 foot almost 7 inches he is small, to say the least.  Which is due to a growth plate injury he had as a child.  Amazingly he grew as tall as he is and is faster than lightening (not literally).  The only problem...he plays for Argentina, the bitter political, cultural and athletic enemies of Brazil.  I want him to win...but I don’t want a war to be waged over it. (not kidding).

3. Brazil is the winningest country in the history of the world cup.   They are banking everything on a hometown win. They have tons of ridiculously talented players but the one name you MUST know is Neymar Jr. He is unreal and probably should be added to fact #2 Best players in the world.

4. No, Landon Donovan (probably the one US soccer player you have heard of) was not chosen for the World Cup team by US coach Klinnsmen (Winner of the world cup with Germany in the 1990s...wait, what?!)  I know it’s strange.  I’m not a Donovan fan, I prefer Clint Dempsey to be our poster boy but it is a point of heated controversy and will undoubtedly be beat like a dead horse by the announcers.  

5. The games are called “matches,” the field is called “pitch”, the teams are called “sides.” Oh yeah and the sport, it’s called Football.  

Embrace The Hard Things by Andrew Patterson

The stomach bug got me down this week and kept me from putting up the guest post.  But here it is now.  Read it.  Think about it.  It's good.  I'm always so blessed to get to post pieces from my brother.  It is hard to put into words the respect and love I have for him.

I was talking to one of my OG’s. For those unfamiliar with that vernacular, “OG” is urban speak for “old wise man”. The topic of our discussion was marriage and I asked him, “How do you do it? How do you stay married for decades? What’s the secret?”

His answer made a lot of sense to me. He said, “One thing we try to focus on is always getting through the hard conversations right away, and moving on. Once you take care of the hard things, you get on the same page and your relationship can improve from there.”

To me, that seems like a really smart approach to me. I look back on some of the hard conversations I’ve had to have recently and I realize that 1) They actually weren’t as daunting as I assumed they would be, and 2) Lots of needed progress has stemmed from those conversations.

As a youngin’, my older cousin used to always kick my ass in Madden. One day I was at his house playing the computer and he snatches the controller out of my hand. He checks the settings and says “See, that’s why you’ll never beat me. You got the game on ROOKIE! If you can’t beat the computer on All-Madden, how the hell are you going to beat me!” Being a former athlete, it was clear do me that doing the things I wasn’t good would give me the greater chance at improving overall. Doing the hardest drills and playing against the toughest opponents is the best way to achieve progress.

I think if we should extrapolate the idea of embracing the hard things in all areas of life. Whether it is career advancement, relationships, education, flirting with more attractive people, accepting and engaging in what’s hard could be a fruitful practice.

A rare photo of my two favorite "hoop ball" players together

Date night

In theory, my husband and I have no excuse for going so long without a date night.  We have the best neighbors in the world whose kids we can watch one night and then they watch ours another.  This is crucial because the kids are with people we love and trust and we don’t have the expense of a babysitter (I should know,  babysitting was my main source of cash flow from middle school through college.)   These saintly friends even watch our kids when we fail to uphold our end of the date night trade.  

I’m all about the date night because in my mind and according to my definition it is comprised of several things that I love:

1. Routine

2. Deep though-provoking conversation. 

3. My husband 

Some date ideas I always offer as options are:

1. Both reading a book silently and then discussing what we read
2. Reading a book out loud to each other and discussing it
3. Listening to a book on tape and then discussing it. 

However for my free spirited love of my life

I’ve realized even the components that I consider mandatory to make a “successful date night” are not the same as his.  He values:

1. Spontaneity 

2. Laughter

3. Me 

His ideas for date night are usually

1. Watching a movie
2. Go out to eat at a new place
3. Making Rice Krispy treats and then eating them while we watch TV.

Here are the things we both love:

1. Sports

2. Being outdoors

3. Good food

4. Eclectic music

5. Each other

And so I consider our day at Fenway a huge success!  

1. The Red Sox won
2. We got to walk around Boston before and after the game.
3. We sat beside each other uninterrupted by chores or work for 9 whole innings.
4. Fenway Franks, Hot Pretzels, Corn dogs and Ice Cream...what is not to love?  
5. The time away made us miss our kids and the level of exuberance in their eyes when we came home (and presented them with a new baseball hat) was half ridiculous and mostly priceless.

First Kiss by Blake Harper

      In 9th grade I got my first “girlfriend”. Her name? Kelli Reilly, she was an adorable, girl-next-door type and inexplicably thought I was the bee's knees. Sadly, I was a terrible “boyfriend."  Now before you start judging, let me explain this was not due to laziness, it was a product of fear. I would avoid eye contact in the hallways, say only the stupidest things when we would talk, and was terrified of handholding, hugging and kissing. I don’t know how she put up with me for the better part of freshman year, but God bless her she did. Then things took a turn for the worse.

At the end of the year our whole school had ‘Knotts Berry Farm Day’, Knotts is a theme park that’s less fun but cheaper than Disneyland. And we would get one day off to go and have fun there. It was a few days before Knotts Day and I was getting real pumped, then Kelli’s best friend Kailey approached me and gave me horrible news: Kelli expected me to kiss her at Knotts. I was still terrified, and now I had a kiss deadline?! My heart stopped. My greatest fear fulfilled (give me a break, I went to a Christian school, all of us were like this).

So the awaited day came, and it started out surprisingly well, with me being less awkward than usual. We went on the Ghost Rider with all our friends, and we even held hands during it!!!!!! OMG!! Walking off the ride, I was feeling like a boss. Then suddenly I was violently pulled behind a bush by an unknown force. I turn and see it was Kelli, and she is now staring at me. One word leaves her lips, “Well?” Days pass. Or seconds, who knows. Finally, I grab her and kiss her, then I do the stupidest thing anyone can do after their first kiss. 

I run.

Yep, I ran, and I ran for a while. Once I finally stop running, I realize what I just did, and begin despising myself. I spend the next few hours moping and reminding myself of my stupidity. Then things get even worse, I run into her again, and she’s with her friends.

I decide the only thing to do is surrender all pride and apologize. She shocks me by accepting the apology and not mocking my very existence. She even asks me if I want to go on Montezuma’s Revenge with her. Clearly I accept, beyond relieved.

It was towards the end of the day, so there was no line, which meant we got to repeatedly ride without having to get off. Now I had never been sick on a ride before, so I ignored it when my stomach began to feel very strange about the fifth ride. By the sixth I was clearly sick, yet I didn’t want to run to the bathroom since running hadn’t served me too well thus far. The seventh time there is no question I was going to puke, and now its just a matter of getting to the bathroom in time. I would not blow this! I got off the ride, holding dear, forgiving Kelli’s hand, with all our friends behind us. And while walking down the stairs, the unimaginable becomes a reality. I throw up, all my friends laughing, all her friends laughing, and all I can do is run. Again.

The moral of the story? Even the most embarrassing stories can become funny after a few years of blocking them from your memory. Hope your Valentine’s Day is better than my Knotts Berry Farm Day.

Count Down

My husbands' return from the West Coast is mere hours away.  I'm not sure if the kids or I are more amped up with anticipation and excitement.  He's been gone too long.  It has made me very glad that his work does not require him to travel on a regular basis.  Here are the top 10 things I have missed most:
10. The sound of him and James playing "Goliath of Gath" while I bathe Scout.
9.  His guidance in the kitchen...our menu this week has been bland to put it nicely.
8.  The treats and necessities he picks up on his way home from work.  He rarely comes home empty handed and it is the highlight of our day when he walks in the door.
7. Watching the UEFA champions cup with him.  Nobody gets behind European soccer like he does, except maybe europeans.

6.  His inquisitive nature and constant wealth of new information.  He knows so much about so many things.  It always makes for a good dinner conversation.
5.  They way he makes Scout laugh.  She laughs for me too but there is this giddy hilarity that she saves only for her daddy.

4.  His ability to help me lighten up and take myself less seriously.  He helps me admit that yes, my son's impromptu hair washing in the sink might be just a little funny.  Whereas on my own I only see a mess I have to clean and miss the joy that's there.
3.  The stories he tells about people watching or work that make me laugh even now as I recall them.

2. His common sense.  I find that I do far fewer foolish things when he is around.  I miss that!
1. Working together as a team. He is truly my better half and I can not wait till he is back here with me.