Happy Aaron Rodgers Day (in Wisconsin, at least!)

Aaron Rodgers Day:
A day the state of Wisconsin proclaim for today in honor of the Packers quarterback because Rodgers wears No. 12 and the date Wednesday today was 12-12-12. 

French Open

Day 5 today for the Roland Garros tennis tournament (French Open) in Paris, a tournament that ends June 5th. To win a Grand Slam, the tennis player has to win in the same year or throughout the career the 4 big tournaments:

1. Australian Open, January-February
2. Roland Garros (French Open), May-June
3. Wimbledon, end of June
4. US Open, August

Handball, the Sport

Handball is an olympic sport that is popular in our region due in large measure to the success of France's national team: they are the reigning gold medalists from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Two additional connections:

• A son of one of our language helpers won the national handball championship for middle schoolers last week.  
• Our town's professional team has won France's national championship several times, are currently placed second nationally, and are strong candidates to win the national tournament this year.

OC Cesson Handball_Chambéry_Spot Orange Sport par OCCessonHandball

Super!

So what did watching the Super Bowl in France look like?

1. No commercials (actually, there was one set of French commercials looped twice)

2. Commentary in French by French commentators

3. Middle of the night: 12:30 - 4:15 AM

(Photo: Green Bay Press Gazette)

Go, Pack!

So I am not a big sports fan and rarely post on sports, but tonight is the "Big Dance." My official cheesehead is in US storage, so we improvised with real French cheese.

When the Packers played the Steelers in 2009, they lost 37-36 in a shoot-out, but my guess is that the defenses will keep the game tighter this time.  My pick: 21-17 Pack.

Tour de France 2010 in our town

July 14th - this was a few blocks from our home!

 (via)

Cape Cup Commencement

It is fun to see my teenage home all ready for the FIFA World Cup festivities! 

This is the heart of Cape Town, with Table Mountain in the background and the new Greenpoint Stadium front left.  A close-up of the stadium is below.

This partially completed overpass baffled and amused my family the entire time we lived in Cape Town.  What do you think of this idea of putting it to use: the giant vuvuzela? It is fully functional!

South Africa celebrated Vuvuzela Day on Wednesday at Noon (2 days before the World Cup began, today!) by everyone sounding vuvuzelas:

Brother 2 Brother on Talk 2 Brazil

On Monday, my uncle commemorated his 40 year anniversary of living in Brazil and his 1st anniversary of hosting the internet talk radio show "Talk 2 Brazil," which exists to encourage economic relations between the United States and Brazil.  Monday's show was broadcast from my parents home in San Antonio, TX and consisted of a fascinating global conversation between my uncle and my father.  

The topics included:

• my father's stories of hitch-hiking through the Middle East in 1969
• my uncle's recollection of his first days in Brazil in 1970
• my parents' experiences in South Africa (2000-2007)
• the economic and global impacts of World Cup hosting (South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014)  
• we happened to be mentioned from ~23:00-27:00
• and many more!

Talk 2 Brazil June 7, 2010

Celtics Lost Last Night 112-111?

Alternative ending to last nights NBA Finals game:

Celtics were up 111-99 with 33 seconds left, so I stopped watching the game thinking it was wrapped up.  To my horror, when I checked the final score this morning, I discovered that the LA Lakers had won 112-111.  The Celtics had choked on the free throw line when the LA Lakers started to foul the Celtics.  While Kevin Garnett and co. were unable to sink free throws, the Lakers made some clutch shots and pulled it out at home...

Then I woke up and quickly remembered the great win the Celtics had last night.  Phew!  Only a bad dream. 

Go Celtics!  Series tied 1-1 going to Boston.

PGA Tour Today at Colonial

Our prayer partners this semester at our school used to work for the Colonial Golf Club in Fort Worth, TX, and they surprised us by giving us their 2 extra complementary tickets. Chris has wanted to go to a PGA Tour game for a long time, and here's our chance today!  You might catch us on TV!

24 min 35 sec and alot of fun!

Orville is 93 and in the back row of the top picture!

5K and 1.5 Miles

I am running a 5K race this morning and Elizabeth, the walk: The Orville Rogers Run for the Hills! The race is hosted by The International Museum of Cultures in Dallas.

It has been two years since I ran a triathlon in MN with some friends (pic below), so today is a gentle, welcomed return to the running world!

A Philippians 3 Walk

This week in Bible study we studied Philippians 3:17, where Paul wrote, "Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us."

Paul uses 'walk' metaphorically to mean something like 'way of life,' but I can't resist the temptation to wonder if Paul ever literally walked like this:

Extreme Ironing: Pressing On

An entire bureau devotes itself to this danger sport, popular in Britain.  Last night, Elizabeth and I were studying Phil 3:14 at a GIAL professor's house and this topic came up - pressing (ironing) of clothes!

(via Pete U.)

Ndamukong "House of Spears"

Ndamukong Su: Second pick in NFL's first round of the draft last night, to Detroit. This ex-Cornhusker looks to be a playmaker for the Lions this year.

Ps. His mother is Jamaican and his father Cameroonian!