MIndErELLa

My big little brother got tickets from his boss for the TCU vs. UTAH Utes game. For anybody out there that knows anything about college football...this was a VERY important game for the Utes and I hate to say their name but the BYU Cougars as well. TCU is known to be a really good team and that they are. They are fast...extremely fast and their QB is allowed way, way , WAAAY to much time in the pocket. So Chad (my brother) wants to know if I want to go to the game with him. Why not? It's football which I love, spending time with my brother which is a rarity, and being out in the cold which for some reason just made the game sound funner. So I went. HAD A BLAST. Paid $4.00 each for a cup of hot chocolate that was oh so yummy and $8.00 each for a smothered burrito that was cold by the time we got to our seats but who cares....it was football stadium food.

Kickoff started and the game began. There was a cool breeze that kind of chilled you to the bone if you didn't dress appropriately which by the way, was the case of my brother. DUH. How do you go to an OUTSIDE football game that starts at 6:00 at night the day after a snow-storm not to mention the fact that your stadium just happens to sit under the snow packed mountains???? He wore thin socks, levis, a T-shirt and a hoodie. That's it!!! Can you say underdressed for the occasion. MOOOOOORRRRON!!!! I swear while he was getting ready his favorite color had to have been clear. Again...I was the smart one.....I wore three shirts, doubled up on socks and had a coat!

The game went on, the cheers went on and after 3 hours of wondering if we could pull it off...we did. The bad thing though. My brother was so cold that we left the last 4 minutes of the game...Utes were down by 4. I had a gut instinct we shouldn't leave but feeling bad for my cold brother I gave in. What a sucker. Walking through the cold air, knees and toes aching from the cold after sitting so long, we suddenly hear "TOUCHDOWN" Utah. Can I just say...my brother is lucky to be alive. How could he be so cold that he couldn't stick out 4 more minutes? And if he really was that cold, it was his own fault for dressing like all he was going to do was walk through a parking lot to get into the warm store. UGHHH!!! I missed the best part of the game because of his stupid shivers.

Oh well, I am thankful I got to go. It has been a long time since I have spent time like that with Cheek. We had awesome seats that mind you were free AND I got a free towel! Yep Yep. It was all worth it. At least for me it was. I was warm!!!!

We all know the time of giving is coming. While we should never forget all year long to give to those less fortunate, this is the time of year with the holiday season on our doorstep that we will be reminded to do so. Whether it be on the news, in the newspaper, friends, family, church, school.....we will all hear the need for assistance to many in our community.

This year has been an excruciating year for so many people. Millions are in the most desperate times of their lives. Our devastating economy has taken crucial blows and left people jobless, homeless, hungry and tired. Times like we are in now leads to the loss of hope, courage, faith, and strength of our fellow man. Their spirits are broken. Many don't know where to begin picking up the pieces.

There has been a 25 to 30 percent increase in the number of individuals who are needing assistance this year compared to last. Many people/families that have never needed help in the past are needing it now. I know I personally have felt the effects of our sluggish economy and in good times it's hard to make ends meet let alone during the time we are in at the present. We are all feeling this crunch.

I must always keep in mind there are people much worse off than I am. I have two wonderful, healthy boys, my family, a great job and a beautiful home. Even during these hard times, I am still able to provide for my family. I am very blessed. But others have not been so fortunate and it's not because of a lack of blessings. They have just hit hard times.

Therefore, while it might be hard for us to do so....I would like to encourage anybody out there to contribute to the local food bank. If you know a family in need, please help them if you can this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe this will help put it in perspective. If you can take what you spend even half of a work week on fast food, coffee from Starbucks or the 7-11, or something that is not a necessity but a privilege for you and put that towards a couple cans and/or boxes of food, you have done your part. Giving vs. Taking.

Remember your blessings and bless another individual or family by giving. Strengthen their spirit, put hope in their hearts and most of all give them some relief. Help to heal those that have been hurt so terribly this last year. I wish you all the most happy holiday season this year and pray there are better times ahead.

God Bless!!!!

Well here I am. Finally made my own blog. It's going to take a bit for me to get used to this. I'm so used to Facebook and MySpace. This a WHOLE new thing. Hopefully people out there in blog land will like me and follow my profile...LOL. If not..oh well..it's okay. I have used entirely to much time trying to make my profile look like Halloween. I need to get back to work. Hi blog world.