A Tinsley Girl's Thoughts on Football

I love football season. Cool air. The whole town showing up to support the team. Cheering fans. The band playing. Visiting with all of my friends. Cheerleaders with their hair perfectly done cheering their heart out. Food from the concession stand. Oh yeah, there's a game too right? I like the game too, but I can't always understand what is going on, but don't worry, I just stand and cheer when everyone else does! Well, as you can see, I'm not as into the game, but I love football season. Unfortunately, our girls have taken after us and don't know a ton about any sports, although they do now know the correct name of the sport we are going to see...most of the time. While most families have Superbowl parties, our female family gears up for a Miss America party! With all of this said, I will share with you A's thoughts on football.

Remember, A is the girl that asks a million questions about anything...really...a million. You can just see the wheels turning in her eyes, and I love to see the world through her perspective. As this one-of-a-kind girl sits and watches a football game, the wrinkle of her eyebrows totally gives it away...she does NOT see any reason at all why someone would actually CHOOSE to play football. "Why do all of those boys just run around on the grass and hit each other? Are they mad at each other?" It just does not make sense to her. The more she watches, the more she doesn't understand..."I just don't know why they want to get hit...or hit each other!" Me either A...I don't get it either!

Don't get me wrong, she loves to go to the game, although the concession stand takes priority over the game anytime! A conversation we had while watching a game:

A: Do girls play football?

Me: Well, a few have, but they don't usually.

A: How come? They aren't mad enough?

Me: Well, I guess it's just a rough game and they don't really want to...I'm not sure

A: Well it would be a better game if girls played.

Me: Oh yeah?

A: Yep. Girls would make it better.

Me: How so?

A: Well girls can't throw as far, so those guys wouldn't have to run as far to go get the ball. See...now they have to run all the way to the end of grass, but if girls threw the ball they wouldn't have to run as far. And girls don't hit as hard, so they wouldn't get hurt!

Makes perfect sense to me my little frog girl....perfect sense!

One Saturday evening we didn't have a lot going on, so the girls went to the living room and turned on "Anne of Green Gables" (one of my all time favorite movies). I, however, decided that I would turn on the big football game since the rest of my state would be talking about the game the next day. A came with me to my room to watch the game. Well, watch is a rather loose term in this case. The game was on...I was editing photos while kind of listening to the game and looking up every once in a while. A was watching the game and again, talking about how little sense it makes for all of those boys to hit each other all the time.

A: Trin, I think that guy is hurt.

Me: (still not paying a lot of attention) hmmm...

A: Is he? Is he hurt?

I look up at the TV and don't see anyone hurt.

Me: I don't think so...I think everyone is fine.

A: I think that guy hurt his hand! Did he break his hand?

Me: I really don't think so.

A: (She is really worried now and getting very persistent to solve this mystery) But that man said it...that man said they guy broke his hand!

Me: Well they aren't showing it..let me rewind it and see.

A: That man said it, I KNOW he did!

Me: Okay, what exactly did he say?

A: He said, (in her best announcer voice) "And he took the hand off"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Poor girl...I laughed so hard before I could explain to her that taking the hand off had nothing to do with breaking his body at all! Oh I love her perspective! Needless to say, I do NOT think I have a football fanatic on my hands!

I forgot how to do this...

So I'm not going to make a whole post about all the reasons why I haven't posted in over a month. All of the excuses just sound like excuses because that is exactly what they are, so I am going to just start posting and try and catch up with all of the news and stories that have happened since I last posted. As you can probably tell, I am an avoider. If something feels overwhelming, I avoid it. That is why I haven't posted, and that is also why my laundry piles up and my house is a mess...how's that for honesty? HA!!





On to the story. On Sunday we found out that one of A's classmates was in the hospital with asthma (she is now in the children's hospital ICU...pray for her please!!!), so I decided to drop off Autumn and the other 3 girls at home after church, and A, A's friend O and I went to visit her in the hospital. We of course had to stop for lunch, so we dined at Wendy's. We don't get the chance to just take one sister out at a time, so it is a fun treat when we do, even if it is with a friend! As the three of us ate, I noticed two policemen in full uniform were also eating with what seemed to be one of the men's wife and son. When the policemen finished their meal and passed by our table on their way out the door, I noticed A's eyes grow wide and I could just see the wheels turning in her head. To my surprise, she was silent as they passed by the table and out the door. Just as I thought she wasn't going to make any kind of comment or ask a question about the police, she looked straight at me and stated matter-of-factly, "Well, what are you going to do?"


Me: What?


Her: Well, aren't you going to do something?


Me: About what?


Her: Those polices just came by and TOOK that kid with them!!! You can't just go around taking kids! You have to do something! I almost jumped on them!

Oh my goodness...can you imagine if she really jumped on the police? I mean really, what would I do? How in the world would I explain....I'm sorry officer that my daughter just burst out of her seat and attacked you like a wild animal, she thought you were stealing this darling child that seems to be your son...oops! Yeah, I don't think that would go over too well. I could see the lightbulb go on in her head when I explained that the child with the officer was probably in fact his son. She had never thought of that. She said, "I didn't know polices had a wife and kids."

Her eye for detail amazes me. The girl went on to describe the men, boy and lady in complete detail. She definitely could have drawn them or described them if we needed to catch them. I thought about that incident all day long. It was just so strange to me that it would bother A enough to remember exactly what they looked like and to want to jump on them and want me to do something about the police. I couldn't figure out what that girl was thinking...it bothered me.

That evening I talked to A again about what had happened at lunch that day. That's when it all came clear.
Me: "What did you want me to do for that little boy today?"
A: "I wanted you to find a home for him."

GOT IT! This whole time I thought that A thought the police were stealing that boy. That's not at all what she thought. You see, she associates children with police meaning that the children are being taken from their home and put into foster care. She wanted me to find a home for that little boy. She wanted to jump on them I guess because it stirred up so much emotion in her that she could just explode.

Wow....

My girls have been through awful things. They have been through traumatic situations. They have chosen to use their experiences to help others.

Wow....

What an example! We all have big issues we have faced. We all have things that have been difficult in our lives. What will we do with those things? Do we choose to sit and just let life pass us by, or will we choose to jump on it (but not on people!) and use the bad things to help others! Thank you Lord that you can use any and all things to bring Glory to YOUR name!





I sweetly (ok maybe I was laughing) suggested to A that the boy was probably one of the men's son and they were probably just having lunch together. That had never occured to her! Poor girl can walk into a room and notice the teeny tiniest detail and totally miss the obvious!!! After giving a short lecture about how inappropriate it is to jump on people when you think they are wrong, or jump on anyone for any occasion really.

60 Candles

Happy Birthday Dad!!! I can NOT believe you are 60!
So...in honor of dad's 60 candles and 60 years of life, the girls and I have come up with 60 reasons we love dad/grandpa, or just some fun memories! It will be long....enjoy!

These are in no order, and I had the girls write them down on their own, so I kept their spelling on them.

1. He helped me when I fell down.--S


2. He taught me how to do the puzzle--M


3. I love his movies about Popeye and Betty Boop--H


4. He lovs God--A


5. He is the same at home as he is in public--Trin


6. He dances funny--H


7. He holds the door--M


8. He let us sleep in the tent--S


9. He gives good advice--Autumn


10. He has cool moves--M


11. He has a good and prity bathroom--A


12. He does fantsy dinners--H


13. He is a good cook--A


14. He is funny--S


15. He seeks the Lord--Trin


16. He has good reasons and lessons--H


17. He is healthy--M


18. He does great planning--M


19. He has very good manners--M


20. He gets the dogs when they bark at us--H


21. He is fair--Trin


22. He is trustworthy--Autumn


23. He is vary good at playing his gootar--A


24. He is strong--M


25. He tells funny jokes--A


26. He loves to watch tv with us--H


27. He plays watergun fights with us--H


28. He makes the best hot dogs--A


29. He is a great husband--M


30. He is a great deacon--M Am I really only half way done???


31. He helps us cook breakfast--S (he always makes a good breakfast--me)


32. He lets us watch a lot ov tv--A


33. He lets us sleep in a tent--H


34. He tells jokes--M (I never get them)


35. He plays with me--M


36. He let us ride one of the busses--M


37. He is a cool grandpal--H


38. He is fun to swim with--H


39. I love the thangs abot him--A


40. He has a funy mined--A


41. He cooks good hot dogs--M


42. He cooks good smors--M


43. He has good movies at his house like Betty Boo and popeye...I like her hair down--S


44. He is a good teacher--M


45. He is the best grampa--M


46. He lives what he preaches--Trin


47. He has funy nabers--A


48. He has funny jokes--H


49. He is nice--H


50. He lets us ride the bus--H


51. He is a good cook--H


52. He is fun to play with--H


53. He is fun an grate--A


54. He has good food--A


55. He is a great person--M


56. He helps me--M


57. He loves me--M


58. He cooked hot dogs--S


59. He is a great person--M


60. WE LOVE HAVING HIM AS OUR DAD AND GRANDPA!!!!!--All of the girls

We love you and hope you have a GREAT birthday!!!!!!

How do you spell that?

Autumn and I are pretty much opposites in most ways possible. I mean, we have the same core values, but other than that, we are completely different. I'm outgoing and get energy from a crowd of people, she is an introvert and would rather just have a one-on-one conversation. I am creative, she is logical. I am more emotional, she is even-tempered. I am dramatic, she is calm. Get the picture? It is really funny because for a long time, we if there were chores to do or in getting food, we would each think of what we would like to do/eat/get, and then we would leave that one for the other person, thinking we were doing them a favor, but we both like opposite things, so turns out both of us would get our least favorite thinking we were doing the other one a favor! Like taking a cookie....I like the soft chewy ones, so I might take the kind of burnt one thinking I was leaving Autumn the best, but it turns out I took her favorite. That used to happen all the time, but we have learned that pretty much on everything, we like total opposite things. Pretty funny. Autumn is smart and usually right. I am not dumb at all, don't get me wrong, but I do not remember facts, and I care way more about people and experiences than tasks and facts, so she is right most of the time. I am a little spacier than she is, which is why I MUST share this story. There aren't a ton of ditzy moments for Autumn, so I just have to share this one.
Flash back to high school...1994 I think. Autumn was a sophomore I think when this happened. When I have a question, I am NOT afraid to ask. When I need help, I am NOT afraid to ask. When I mess up or goof up, I am usually much louder about it than I really need to be. Again, Autumn is the complete opposite. If she has a question, she tries to research or use logic to figure it out. You get the idea. Autumn was in science class and got put in the lab group with two boys, so she had the responsibility of writing the lab report for the group, which meant she had to write every one's names down.
So there she was, sitting in the science lab with a dilemma: what in the world are these guys' names? Now, I would have just asked. I would have said, "Oops, sorry I totally forgot your name even though you told me a million times". Not Autumn. She came up with a much more clever plan. So.....she asked how to SPELL their names. Great plan, EXCEPT for the fact that the one guy answered, "P-A-T"
Hahahahahaha!!!!! It makes me laugh just writing about it. I mean really, how many ways can you spell Pat? Hahahahaha!! Good one Autumn!

Father's Day/dad's Birthday

Unless I think of another story to put on here, this is your last one dad. I'm so glad you enjoyed reading these (he told me he did!). I'm glad I wrote some of these stories down...I just feel so much better with my favorite stories written down. It makes me feel like I (well and my stories and experiences) won't be forgotten as easily.

We are going back in time 19 years. While some of you might think that would put me as an infant (hahahaha), I was 12 years old, almost the big 13! We had spent some time visiting family in Oklahoma, and since my aunt and uncle (mom's sister) was moving, mom and Bethany got to stay and help move while Autumn, dad and Snuggles LeeAnn our dog and I came home. We travelled on July 4th and spent the night in a hotel and watched fireworks from the hotel parking lot. It was a great time even though the whole family wasn't together.

Dad's birthday is July 11, and Bethany and mom were still in Oklahoma, so Autumn and I decided to try and make this day memorable for dad. Of course dad wouldn't say anything about it being his birthday and he wouldn't make any big deal of it, but Autumn and I came up with a plan. Dad had something to do the day of his birthday, so we went and stayed with a friend, Miss Leona. When we asked Miss Leona if she would help us make a cake, we had no idea that she was a "real" cake decorator. I mean, to me, she might as well have been the cake boss, even though that show did not exist back then. I was SOOOOOOO excited that I could hardly stand it. And I just could not believe that Miss Leona went to our church and we didn't even know that she could make roses out of icing! I also could NOT believe that she would take us to the store and actually buy the ingredients for the cake, AND a card! Autumn and I gathered our money up and put $12 in the card. I wonder why I can't remember whole events in my life yet I remember we put $12 in the card.

I can't remember if we gave him the cake when he picked us up from Miss Leona's house or if we somehow snuck it home and gave it to him, but I do remember he had a good reaction when we gave him the cake, but an even better reaction when we gave him the card with the $12. I was so excited that I could tell he was excited. Remember I told you that he doesn't ever have a big reaction when you give him a gift, so the fact that I could tell he was excited was a very big deal to me. However, here is what was an even bigger deal to me. This is what stood out so much and I doubt dad even remembers this next part. What made me speechless (I know that is hard to do) is that he took that $12 and went to the store and bought US cherries!!! We love fresh cherries in the summer, and I just could not believe that he would take his birthday money and buy us cherries! That meant the world to me. It is so funny because of all of the things my dad has bought me through the years, one of the gifts that stands out the most is Bing cherries bought with his birthday money on his birthday! That's a birthday that I will never forget!

Father's Day--part 5

I know it is past Father's Day. Yes, I realize that, but here is the thing...I have a couple more stories to tell, and dad's birthday is in a few weeks, but it is the first day of VBS and I will be so busy with that, so I am just calling this Father's Day/birthday posts....sorry dad.
Speaking of Father's Day and dad's birthday, that leads right in to my story.
We will go back to college days once again. I am not actually in this story, but it is so funny and describes dad so well that I have to share it. It was summertime. Bethany and I were working at Glorieta, and Autumn was overseas on a trip with students from OBU. Autumn's trip was about 6 weeks, and for many reasons, the team was only to call home maybe once, if at all. Autumn can't remember if she called for Father's Day or on dad's birthday, but she decided to call on one of those special days and talk to dad for just a minute. She figured it would be special to hear from all of his daughters, even the one on the other side of the world. The conversation went a little something like this:
Dad: Hello?
Autumn: Hi dad....happy (father's day or birthday)
Dad: Thanks...who is this?
(He really does know his daughters, but is thrown off when we call and he isn't expecting it, which he was NOT expecting her to call all summer)
Autumn: It's Autumn (she is so understanding...I would have been offended right away!)
Dad:oh......ummm.....Where ARE you?
Autumn paused and just laughed. She could see exactly what he was thinking. It threw him off so much that Autumn called that he lost track of time all together and though it was the day that he was supposed to pick her up from the airport. He panicked just for a second thinking she was sitting at the airport waiting for him....nope, just calling to wish you a happy day!

Father's Day--part 4

I didn't post yesterday, so I will post a story today, and maybe the next few days, depending on how many stories I think of. Today is officially Father's Day...HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!!! I hope you have enjoyed and continue to enjoy this tribute to you in the form of stories. It is hard for me to think of good gifts for dad because he is just content with what he has. And speaking of gifts and dad....if you ever give him a gift and he doesn't make a big deal of it, it does NOT mean he doesn't like it. He most likely will not say much of anything, he will not scream or make an animated face. He will just open it, look at it, say oh thank you. This means that he really likes the gift. I have learned this lesson over the years. Dad and I react much differently to geting gifts...neither is wrong or right, just different.


Well, that is a rabbit I did not expect to chase. So...on to the story. This story takes place my freshman year in college. I was at OBU in the freshman dorms, and Bethany and Autumn were just across campus in an apartment, and my parents were in Colorado. Now this was before everyone had cell phones (yes, I feel very old saying that). We all had a phone in our dorm room and to call a number on campus, you just press the 4 digit extention. So to call Bethany and autumn, I would just press 7920, or whatever the number was. But to call off campus, you had to press 9, then push your 7 digit phone number. And to call off campus AND long distance, you had to push 9, then your 10 digit number, then wait for the tone and put in your 5 or so digit long distance code. Because hardly anyone had cell phones, and if they did they really were just for emergencies, the campus circuits were always very busy at night...I guess that was the most popular time to call home. So, many times, you had to try several times to be able to get the call to go through off campus or if you were off campus calling on campus, it sometimes took several



tries to get through. I know that seems like a lot of weird information to be telling you, but stick with me, I have a point to all of this, and it is really funny.



One evening, I was homesick and just wanted to talk to my dad, so I called, but all circuits were busy, so I called again...busy...tried again, and got through. Dad said he would call right back, so I waited while he tried to get through and finally, my phone rang a double ring, which meant it was an off-campus call. I picked it up and happily talked to dad, told him all of the things that were happening in my life (don't have a clue now what they were, but I'm sure they were important then) and then I hung up. A few minutes later, my phone rang again....it was another double ring, which meant it was an off campus call. Here is pretty much what the conversation was:
Me: Hello?
Autumn: Trinity?
Me: yeah....
Autumn: Oh....that's weird, I thought called dad.
Me: What? That's weird....you know, it did have a double ring...hmmm..
Autumn: Hmmm....I don't know....maybe I DID dial you on accident.
Me: ok...talk to you later.
Autumn: K...bye

Now remember, to call my room just across campus, she would only have to push 4 numbers....FOUR, but she called my dad, which was 9 + 10 numbers + the long distance code...obviously way way more than 4 numbers.
Another minute or so and my phone double rings again.
Me: Hello?
Autumn: Trinity?
Me: YES!!
Autumn: I KNOW I dialed dad this time....what in the world?
Me: I don't know.

I'm pretty sure Autumn tried it out one more time before we decided it was just too silly to pay long distance for her to talk to me across campus. We weren't for sure what had happened, but some how I was getting dad's calls from Colorado! My parents did not have cell phones yet, so I called the church thinking maybe they would go there, but they didn't. So I had no way of telling them I was recieving their phone calls in Oklahoma! A few minutes later:
Me: Hello?
Caller: Pam? You sound different.
Me: Umm...no
Caller: Stacy? (my step sister)
Me: No...this is her step-daughter Trinity
Caller: Oh...I didn't realize you were visiting.
Me: I'm not...I'm in Oklahoma and somehow I am getting their calls.
Caller: You are in Oklahoma?
Me: Yes, I'm in college here and I don't know how I am getting their calls, but if you give me your name and number I will tell them to call you when I finally talk to them.
Caller: Ok
We laughed, and I got out a notebook to start keeping messages for my parents in Colorado while I was in Oklahoma.
A few minutes later:
Me: Hello?
Caller: Stacy?
Me: No...Trinity
Caller (who happened to be Stacy's boyfriend): Trinity? what? Are you in town?
Me: No....I don't know what happened, but somehow I am getting all their calls.
Stacy's bf: Oh...ok...well we are kind of fighting, so will you tell her I called when you talk to her?
Me: hahaha...yes I will.

I'm pretty sure that was the end of the calls for the night. The next morning, I got a double ring, so I grabbed my message notebook to answer Colorado calls.
Me: Hello?
Dad: hello?
Me: DAD!!
Dad: Who is this?
Me: DAAAAD....it's Trinity
Dad: Trinity who?
Me: DAAAAAAAAD!!!!

So went on to tell him how I had gotten a few calls and something had happened where I was getting all of their calls. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Apparently before dad called me the night before, he tried to stop call waiting so we could talk, but he instead forwarded all of his calls to me. And when they would get a call, it would do a half ring, but when they picked it up, it was dial tone...well that was because it was FORWARDED to me!!! So......in that night the following happened:

• Stacy was upset cause her boyfriend wasn't calling her


• Autumn AND dad had to pay for long distance several times just to talk to me across campus!


• Dad had to pay long distance for everyone who called him...cause it went to me in Oklahoma!


• Yes, I got offended that dad asked Trinity who. I couldn't believe he wouldn't even know his own daughter!

We laughed and laughed about that night!

I love you so much dad!!! Happy Father's Day! Sorry that Father's day is almost over before I even posted this!!!!