We are huge Boise State football fans. Mark’s father was Dean of Engineering for many years at the school. It was only natural that I became a fan after marrying into the family. It’s fun having a wardrobe full of blue and orange and hanging out with friends to watch the games.

Our respect is not just for the school and the team – it’s also for Coach Chris Peterson and his coaching staff. They see their job as not only winning games but building men of integrity who will lead, create and fulfill their commitments. How can you not love that?

Since Coach Pete has been at BSU, the team has grown in popularity around the nation. We’re the small town team known for trick plays and coming back from behind. The creativity of they playbook amazes me. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, another surprise play emerges. It’s crazy yet oh so fun to watch.

Eight years ago this week I was living in Paris. I’d not been there long, so my language proficiency was functional, at best. It was a Tuesday morning and I was online at the library, when CNN interrupted my screen to live-cast two planes hitting the Twin Towers. It felt like a Punk that had gone horribly wrong.

Americans were advised to avoid public places, including the metro. I remember walking home in the rain, drenched by awareness that our world wasn’t the copasetic place I once believed. I wasn’t too close with my family at this point, but recall a deep longing for their voices that week. Calls wouldn’t go through though, and the two times I did reach a payphone operator, my ability to speak was frozen in tears.

Have you seen “Up” yet?  I just came back from my second viewing and just in case you are wondering if all the glowing reviews you’ve been hearing are true, well, the answer is an unequivocal yes.  This film works is enjoyable on so many levels, it is sure to become a Disney/Pixar classic.  

What struck be watching this movie the second time around are the many layers present in this movie.  It’s an adventure movie that (mini spoiler alert ahead) touches on themes of life, death, loneliness, companionship, abandonment, greed, friendship, perspective, and priorities.  Not bad for a film that features talking dogs!

My last blog was inspired by this article I read in the BBC News Magazine about a young boy who knew, at age 9, that he would someday save lives. He went on to become a leading medical scientist whose research has, in fact, saved lives. 

From this article, I picked up a few tidbits of wisdom about how to encourage young kids to go after their dreams. Here are a few nuggets of gold I plan to put into practice with the young people in my own life:

1) Kids are thinking about the future.  "Thousands of children wrote to the programme every week," said the article, and I realized that pretty much every child I know has an answer to "what do you want to be when you grow up?" Two of my nephews want to be pirates. One is already an accomplished artist. My pastor's youngest son already knows he wants to be a pastor. Another friend's elementary schooler wants to be a veterinarian. The list goes on.