Lessons from Secretariat

We rented Secretariat from the Red Box today.  I wasn't planning on watching it but Ben really wanted me to.  Wow, I'm so glad I did.  What a great movie!  I love crying happy tears and I certainly did watching this movie. 

I came across a blog post by Brian Dodd where he outlines Leadership Principles from the movie.  Listed some quotes Brian highlighted that I liked below...

1.Our Lives Are One Phone Call Away From Changing Forever. Penny Chenery, played by Diane Lane, receives a phone call in the opening scene notifying her that her mother has passed. This begins the series of events that resulted in Secretariat becoming the greatest racehorse of all time. I have had several instances this year where my life was propelled in another direction simply as a result of an unexpected phone call so this principle hits close to home.

2.“It’s not whether they think we won. It’s whether we think we won.” - Penny’s father Chris Chenery

3.“Great colts come from great sires.” Fathers, we are not horses obviously, but can you see the application?

4.Talent is Often Uniquely Packaged. Lucien Laurin, played by the incredible John Malkovich, is eccentric in wardrobe and personality to say the least. Be careful about making judgements based upon external appearances.

5.“I got what I wanted.” - Penny Chenery referring to acquiring Secretariat in a coin flip followed by her brother Hollis’s statement “You got what no one else wanted.”

6.Always Trust A Woman’s Intuition. Penny received no support from either her husband or brother. It is one of the truths of this life that God gives women a sixth sense regarding life’s issues. Husbands, trust your wives’ insights.  (hehe)

7.“Let him run his race.” Good words for us as leaders.

8.“You never know how far you can go unless you run.”

9.“I will not live the rest of my life in regret.” – Chenery

10.“One loss can happen. Two is non-performance.” – Chenery’s primary financial backer Ogden Phillips played by James Cromwell.

11.“I’ve run my race. You run yours.” – Chenery speaking to Secretariat the evening before the Belmont Stakes.

12.“Let him run Ronnie! Let him run!” - Chenery as Secretariat was going down the backstretch at the Belmont.

Go rent the movie!

Cajun Ten Commandments

We're studying the ten commandments in our small groups on Sunday nights.  Dan shared the following "Cajun" version.  Too funny...

Da Cajun Ten Commandments

   

1. God is number one... and das' All.

2. Don't pray to nuttin' or nobody... jus' God.

3. Don't cuss nobody... 'specially da Good Lord.

4. When it be Sunday... pass yo'self by God's House.

5. Yo mama an' yo daddy dun did it all... lissen to dem.
 
6. Killin' duck an' fish, das' OK... people - No!

7. God done give you a wife... sleep wit' jus' her.

8. Don't take nobody's boat... or nuttin' else.

9. Don't go wantin' somebody's stuff.

10. Stop lyin'... yo tongue gonna fall out yo mouf!

Southern Plate: Red Beans and Rice

Red beans and rice make regular appearances at my home.  On rare occasion I start with dry beans.  To be completely honest though, we love Blue Runner Beans per a previous post and we use those a lot.  They'll make you wanna slap your mama.

So Christy Jordan at Southern Plate posted a recipe using dry beans that is very similar to what I do and I thought I'd share that with y'all.  Basically the only difference is that I make mine in the crock pot because I don't have time to stand around the stove all day.  We use red wine vinegar as a condiment with red beans in our house and it's a nice touch.

Here's a link to Christy's recipe.  Enjoy!  

And call me if you make them so I can come eat with you.

Cousins

Silly cousins...

Isn't my niece, Talyn, gorgeous?  She's beautiful inside and out!  Love that girl!

Good Riddance Sugar-Free February!

So Sugar-free February wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.  Actually I thought the Great January Buying Cleanse was easier. 

Because sugar is in so many things, our goal was to avoid obviously sugar-filled treats, like candy, desserts, and sodas.  I didn’t think that I would have any problem with giving up sweets, but it was a challenge.  Here’s how it worked out for us:

MAGEN

Let’s start with sweets, and we’ll get to sodas in a sec.  I was good.  From February 1 – 13.  Then I consulted with Tiffaney and determined I deserved a cheat day in honor of Valentines Day.  Had some chocolate covered strawberries.  And it kinda went downhill from there.  I gave into temptation, well, probably 6-8 times after that.  That’s including that Cream Cheese Banana Bread that I made.  Should have never given myself a cheat day.

Now about sodas… I usually have a couple sodas a day when I’m at work.  On the first day of February I had a Coke Zero (no sugar, right?) and Tiffaney (my very own personal Jiminy Cricket) didn’t think that was a great idea.  She said that if I was going to drink soda then it may be better to drink the real thing rather than consuming all those chemicals in diet soda…

Sulphite Ammonia Caramel, Phosphoric Acid (Also used for rust removal), Sodium Citrates (Also used in photography and as an anticoagulant of blood stored for transfusion), Asapartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Sodium Benzoate, Phenylalanine, Caffeine

…Yeah.  Not that the real thing is good either.  So I had maybe 4-5 Coke Zeros during February.  I am going to claim one victory for February, and that is the reduction of soda drinking and the increase in drinking water.  I don’t think I’ve ever been a consistent water drinker – don’t really like the flavor. :)  So replacing all that coke with water was what I am most proud of for February.  Believe it or not, I have still not had a Coke yet.  I’m kind of afraid to, and also I don’t want my first Coke after a long break to be just any Coke.  It has to have GOOD ICE.  Am I right?

TIFFANEY

I totally agree with Magen that quitting sugar cold turkey is difficult. I tried not to even allow myself sugar-free products, but one night thoughtful Magen brought over some sugar-free candy to eat on my trip to Chicago. It was a “sweet” gesture; however, it led to my falling off the wagon for almost 5 days straight. The desserts of Chicago are hard to resist. I still remember the muffins! Sorry Magen.

I actually did fairly well, except with the occasional breakdown of Valentine’s Day Conversation Hearts (one of my favorites) and a pancake dinner (that I didn’t cook, therefore rude not to eat J.) As the month went by, I found myself craving sugar less and less.  Although come March 1, one would not be convinced seeing as how I consumed a good third of a box of well hidden Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Overall I think we accomplished our goals of breaking our dependence on sugar.

Good riddance Sugar-free February!

…Check back soon for Journaling and Kindness March.  Still trying to come up with a catchy title for that one.