What Inspiration Is Fame

  

We had the privilege to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, OH

I may be thinking too much but the  PFHOF was full of inspiration and also full of conflict and confrontation to my reason today. I thought of all the life stories represented in that series of rooms and theaters. Some of the stories I remembered watching (coming from a family of boys) back in the 60s. Some I even invested in emotionally and rooted for them, yelled and screamed at the TV, cried if they lost, and held grudges against "the enemy" team. Football has been a passion for a very long time. I really thought I could grow up and marry Joe Montana.

All 5 boys played football, all for the same High School, different eras, different coaches. Two ended up on the All-Decade Team for that school. Two played in college and one is in the NFL. All are successful, all are famous in my eyes for different things. Football teaches teamwork, tries to instill integrity and responsibility, creates a sense of community, and gives them the opportunity to influence others. I am grateful for those values that my boys have achieved through sports, and it also kept them out of trouble. [Coaches had a strong Code of Conduct]

early gear

Jim Thorpe statue

Jerseys and Helmets

Jim Thorpe

Could have been after last weeks game

Giant men 

Perfect Season Marino

 

Facts I did not remember, that integration of NFL did not happen until 1962.

It is also a woman's game and more women are getting to know the game daily!

Norm Van Brocklin

The wall of busts of those honored was amazing and breathtaking to take in. In one area of expertise, football, these are acknowledged as the best of the best for their excellence and accomplishment in playing the 'game'.

Larry Czonca

Mike Ditka

Tom Landry

Jerry Rice

Ray Guy

So glad there is a Punter in the Hall of Fame. Ray Guy's Award is the most prestegious accomplishment for punters.

Ryan Allen won the award twice, back to back. 2011, 2012

Jerry Rice we met at the ProBowl. Many of the players went on to do great things because of the character that they gained or chose during their time playing. There are a lot of tragedies that happened to some of the men in the HOF, also. Integrity is something one must choose.

The paths to this room were all different. There are legacies shown here, some even from the same family. Some team legacies and some from areas of the country. Below is the display of the QB Kurt Warner. I love his journey because of what it took to get to this room. He was a free agent who had to play in other than NFL realms, arena, several teams, and yet this man has the place of fame in the ranks of many others. We especially sought out the Rams players. Good representation.

I am going to create my own Hall of  Fame with the focus on the unseen rather than the nationally and globally broadcast heros. There are heroes every day in our life. I also want to celebrate those men, like my husband who served developmentally disabled adults for 32 years and loved them.  He also overcame some amazing adversities and chose integrity.

Parents of autistic or disabled children that will always be with them.  Heroes. Those who beat addictions and chose a better life, heroes. Those who serve, military, police, doctors, nurses, firefighters, EMTs, Teachers and others whose small monetary gains cannot pay for their personal service. Heroes!

My Hall of Fame may even include you!

Thirty Six and Counting

November 7th, 2017

Thirty-six years with this man is completed. Married in 1981 at 8:00 am with a breakfast reception at a small Church in Ogden, Utah we became husband and wife.

"And the two shall become one flesh" is a scripture that has taken much longer than we thought to be accomplished...our dreams of 'us' did not include much of what we experienced in this journey.

I am a firm believer that it is in the contrasts of life that we find reality and truth and the deepest parts of love. To say yes we must understand no. To learn we must embrace our own lack of knowledge. To appreciate beauty we must understand and embrace the 'unlovely' by the world's standards. To truly belong, we must know what it feels like to be the 'outcast'. To joyfully walk in the light we must have an understanding of what it is like to feel of darkness. I love the movie, "The Chosen" because it is these struggles of life where we choose life, choose love, choose light, choose relationship, that we find out what it is to be a "Righteous Man".

This lovely man and I have walked through these contrasts of life, and we have not fully attained the righteous man status, but we have loved through, conquered much, and grown lots through these experiences. Today, I love Bob more than I could have ever imagined. We are on an amazing adventure. We laugh daily, we love without barriers and intervention, we are blessed with the most amazing family. We have stories to tell wherever we go.

The boys have walked through our stuff and their own stuff along the way and as a family, we gather together and hold on to each other through it all. I am at the place where I am so very grateful for the hard times and what they have taught us and changed in us. Life is good, but in that good, is all the light and dark and shades in between, the warm and cool colors, hard and soft edges that make up the masterpiece that is marriage.

This year we got to spend our anniversary at a friends farm in New Jersey. We had a lovely dinner alone at Eccola. Great food romantic place. We then celebrated with Rick at his dinner table with great ice cream and raspberries from his farm. Just talking and telling family stories and hearing his son's adventures was a priceless treat!This whole trip and year has been such a blessing. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Hold on, more to tell and more to come as we travel this great country. We have found miracles at every turn.

We have some trials going on right now in our family that are serious and require love and walking through the fire, but my confidence is in what God has grown in this family and what the future holds will be for our growth and not destruction.

Young or older, dark hair, light hair, no hair, sun vacations, work and cold, we are a family. Thank you, Jesus, for your ever-present hand. My prayer is that the boys always maintain the love and care they have for each other and that above all they choose the relationships they have and stay in touch and together. I am so proud of each of them. Our daughters in law are all amazing, our grandkids complete joys.  We play, we love, we live as Hekkers!

The year 1999 I think, the whole crew.

Johnny's big day together

We have lots of pictures like the one on the right and you can see the changes, but one thing remains. We love each other.

Grandpa practicing songs for the grandkids

Fishing with the boys
Hanging out watching football
Birthday Celebrations
BBQs
Babysitting
Road Trips
Fire Pits
36 years and counting....

     

In Search of Wicked Tuna

Our son Timmy

When at home in Washington, I hate to admit, we can sit in our living room for hours and watch reality shows that have nothing to do with our real lives. Since my life is totally man-scaped some of the main programs are Alaskan Bush People, Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush, Baring Strait Gold, and last but certainly not least Wicked Tuna. Our oldest son Tim is an avid fisherman and has even captained his own guide service for Pacific salmon and steelhead fishing groups.

Talking to him during the week he wanted us to go to Gloucester, MA and see if we could get a picture of one of the Wicked Tuna boats. We were totally game since we wanted to explore that area anyway we planned it in our return course to New Jersey.

There are days your expectations are sub-optimistic. Throughout the fall we kept running into "Closed for the season" see you in the spring. We did some research and found out that the Wicked Tuna boats moor at Cape Ann Marina. So, with the process we have become adept at, we punched Cape Ann Marina into our Google Maps. Somewhat off the closest path to the NJ Farm, we set off to find Gloucester. "Gl ow stir" was how Bob kept saying it, of course, I kept retorting, "It's Glawster, like Foster!"

As we found the Cape Ann marina we saw a sign "Fresh Lobster Rolls today only $12.99" If you have had them before that is an amazing price, and it was the marina restaurant advertising the special. As we turned in we saw hundreds of boats up in bubble wrap so we thought we could at least get Lobster Rolls and assumed that the Wicked Tuna boats would be put away for the season.

We went in verifying that there were really Lobster Rolls at that price. We were given a seat facing the boats that were out in the marina and enjoyed a cup of soup, mine lobster bisque, Bob, clam chowder and great lobster rolls. We tried the hot lobster rolls with the butter since we had not had that kind.

Our waitress was a hoot, she announced to us, with a custom bookmark that she was a Marilyn Monroe imitator and made her living doing that. She sang a version of "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to the Admiral on video for us. Bob said he thought Admiral Irv was aroused. Again, my life with men.

                             

 

We had a lovely time, bought T-shirts in the lobby and went to head off. The waitress said that the Wicked Tuna boats usually moor right around the corner in the back part of the marina. I took the Admiral back to the rig (he said he had to go to the bathroom). Bob on a whim went around the building to the back of the marina and got a big surprise. Two "Wicked Tuna" boats and a captain.

    

Bob and Paul Hebert of Wicked Tuna

 Wicked Tuna captain Paul Hebert was on his boat cleaning it up. Bob, very politely asked if it was okay that he get a picture of the boat for his son. He was more than happy to oblige and then invited Bob on board so that they could have a selfie together. It was a Bob moment we missed because we were in the RV.

Such a fun experience and Bob was happy to find out how kind and inviting Captain Paul was. He has kind of a brash personality on the show sometimes. Lesson learned. There's nothing that shows the truth more than meeting the real thing!

We had another assignment from our great host Dunner to go see the Fishing Captain statue at the front of Glocester harbor situated right on the boardwalk there.

Bob got out and took pictures and while doing so started talking to the locals. He met the couple who owns the house right behind the statue. The guy was a retired police officer and his wife was so sweet. We also found out that Dunner's brother helps run the city.  You would have to know Dunner (his nickname) to realize that this man knows somebody everywhere and information about every place He could be a guidebook, and every place we went to was amazing.