New Years Memories and Nacho Libre

What am I doing for New Years? I know that all of my followers are dying to find out and I will not leave them in the dark. It's going to be a low-key night, hanging out and relaxing with the wife, maybe watching a little football. New Year's isn't a bad Holiday. I used to think that it was the most overrated Holiday, but my tune has changed a bit. That's probably because last year we had a great time with some of our close friends from the Burgh. 

With the exception of Ross, we all got dressed up, Lissa made some awesome Lasagna, we drank some wine, shared some laughs, and had some of Andie's (Bro) world famous cheesecake. We then played some games highlighted by a furious game of bomb and watched Nacho Libre. By the way, it is a fact that Nacho Libre is the most polarizing movie in the history of cinema. People either love it or hate it.  I first heard about the movie from my Sister and Brother in law... they loved it. They said they had never laughed so hard. I was curious. But then I was at a movie theater and saw a bunch of people coming out of a Nacho Libre showing and the only word to describe their reaction to the movie was disgust. People were grumbling and saying that it was the WORST movie they had ever seen! I was confused and decided that I needed to judge for myself. I saw it, thought it was hilarious, and liked it so much that I actually purchased a copy of it. And so I have found that those are the only two responses to this movie. Fanatical love or utter disgust. There is no middle ground when it comes to Nacho Libre. But anyways, after we watched the movie we went to bed. The girls slept in the bedroom, while the guys slept on the couches/floor. 

Like any good sleep over, there were a lot of stories shared and a lot of laughter. I don't know about the girls, but the guys mainly talked about Talby and Coach Smith (Our college football coach). Somehow, those stories never get old. The next day we woke up, watched some football, and ate some Donuts. It was a great New Year's celebration. We all vowed that this was going to become a tradition, but after we moved to Virginia we could not keep our word.
Because of last year's successful party, I learned that what makes a Holiday either fun or crappy is completely dependent upon the effort you put into it and the people you spend it with. Making and sharing traditions with the people you love and enjoy is what makes a Holiday.

The typical song that plays when the New Year comes in is Auld Lang Syne. That's one of those songs that I never knew what it truly meant. Well, the words 'Auld Lang Syne' literally translates from old Scottish dialect meaning 'Old Long Ago' and is about love and friendship in times past. So as I think about last year the words of the song seem to fit. "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind?"  Nope! This year we will remember the NYC crew and look forward to our next meeting.

Christmas with Luther

According to at least 3 people (Dido, CRich, and my mother in law), my first post about Talby was a huge success. This blog has a small, but devoted, fan base. To balance my posts out, I decided to write on something a bit more serious. Over Christmas, I had the opportunity to read Martin Luther's Christmas book. It is a short little book that includes several of Luther's sermons on the birth of Jesus Christ. I always enjoy reading it. There is something about the way he talks and writes that I absolutely love. He can speak to your heart with conviction on the great matters of eternity and faith and he can also cause you to bust out laughing because of a joke or a witty jab at his enemies. Another reason why I love Luther, is his complete and total honesty. He openly shares his past struggles with sin, doubt, superstition, and fear as well as his present failures. It is his honesty and his knowledge of the power of the Gospel to deliver from all Satan's devices that make his words so powerful. When the famous Christian, John Bunyan, was struggling to find assurance of his own salvation, he found comfort in Luther's commentary to Galatians. Bunyan was amazed that a man that lived 100 years ago seemed to experience the same things in his own soul, which caused Bunyan to say that, "There is no better book for a wounded conscience than Martin Luther's commentary on Galatians." Bunyan was comforted to know that he was not alone in his experience.

And so as I was reading the Christmas book, I came across a section where Luther said that he was burdened over the coldness of his own heart when he hears the story of Christ's birth, saying: "I hate myself because when I see Christ laid in the manger, in the lap of his mother, and hear the angels sing, my heart does not leap into flame. With what good reason should we all despise ourselves that we remain so cold when this word is spoken to us over which all men should dance and leap and burn for joy!" I don't know about you, but often I find myself in the same place as Luther. Knowing the truths of the Gospel yet not truly rejoicing in them. This reminded me that it is ok, to be really happy about Christ and His salvation. It is good to have your heart on fire. It might even be ok to dance because the gospel is so sweet. While I was comforted from Luther's experiences, I was also encouraged to repent.
So, if you are like me, learn from Luther. Let's be honest with ourselves, God, and others. Let's rejoice in the Gospel. And, in those times when God's face shines upon us and our hearts are filled with joy, let's not be afraid to express it.

the manliest man I know

After several complaints due to my inactivity, I am proud to finally provide my many devoted fans and lone subscriber (Thanks Jarrett!) with my much anticipated first post. When I thought about what I should write about, I decided that my best option was to do a feature on the manliest man that I know. His name is Aaron Talbott (Talby). There seems to be an infinite number of Talby stories and some of them have progressed from historical fact to exaggerated tale to total myth. It is not my purpose to exhaust all of those tales and separate fact from fiction. There will be a time for that. I simply want to introduce him to man-cave nation by telling you about his rugged roots and just how I came to meet this grizzly man.

It was the first week of football camp at Grove City College. I was a Junior at the time and there were several new freshmen in the locker room. I had previously heard from a friend at Church that she knew someone coming to Grove City to play football. His name was Aaron Talbott. Because his name was near the end of the alphabet, we shared the same row of lockers. As I was headed to my locker to put away my pads, I saw a burly young man crouched down, hat tilted almost sideways on his head with a ridiculous crease in it, using a screw driver to attach a cowboy collar to his shoulder pads. I introduced myself to him and was pleasantly surprised to see that despite his rough and tumble exterior, Talby was actually a nice and outgoing individual. I shook his hand, (It was like shaking a bear's paw) and that was the beginning...

The two pictures on this blog are of Talby before I met him. From what I hear, he was and still is a legend at Bethel Park. He was an all conference linebacker/linemen, who was infamous for clearing out Pizza Hut buffet's with his linemen buddies. Check out this article about high school Talby. He was a weightlifter/ wrestler who was also not afraid to dabble in acting as he played Gaston in his high school musical Beauty and the Beast. Truly, he is a Renaissance man.

These introductory stories about Talby can teach all men everywhere a few lessons on what it means to be a real man. 1.) If you are going to play football.... wear a neck roll. It makes you look big and intimidating. 2.) You don't need to be mean. Talby is a true Southern Gentlemen and 3.) A real man is diverse. He can play football and act. He can lift weights while wearing puka shells and gelling his hair. He can wear flannel but also pull off a bow tie.
This is the first of many Talby tributes. Please look forward to Talby Tuesdays.

welcome

Hi. My name is Jay and I am Lissa's husband. I can not believe 

that I am actually writing on a blog. I realize that the title of this 

blog is somewhat of a contradiction. Guys usually don't blog. 

But, I guess I am out to shatter the mold. I will not be posting as much 

as my wife and I won't give fashion tips and post "outfit pics," 

but I will share things that I learn about and talk about things that are awesome...