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Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks MILES STYLE!

11/25/2018

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“When you you going to come visit me?” my brother queried banteringly of Miles.

“When the Packers play the Seahawks in Seattle,” Miles shot back.

“If you can get here, I will buy the tickets,” Wright retorted.   
  
Wright’s response may have been real or rhetorical  but Miles took him seriously and Wright, BLESS HIM, was good to his word.     The Green Bay Packers played the Seahawks in Seattle on November 15, 2018 and we were there.  WE WERE THERE!!!!

Credit card points got us on the plane, $40 got us a parking spot a half mile from the stadium, and Wright got us into the game.   

And what a game!     The Seahawks fumbled in the first few minutes and the Packers took advantage to jump to an early 7-0 lead, a lead they kept most of the game.    Sadly for Miles, they did not have the lead when the final whistle blew but the Packer’s loss did not cause any loss of enthusiasm for Miles. He saw his revered Aaron Rodgers in action and that was all he needed.

Rodgers made a couple incredible passes, including a 50+ yard-er thrown off balance and across his body.  The ball sailed to the end zone and landed in the hands of his receiver, a receiver flanked by two defenders.  “No one else in the NFL even attempts a pass like that,” Miles raved, “much less makes it!”

He loved, LOVED, seeing Aaron in action.   “It is so different in real life than on T.V.,” he explained.   “On T.V. you don’t get the perspective. In the stadium you can see just how amazing it is, how far he can really throw.”

The night was a win for Miles.    It was a win for Lance and I too.  Of course we loved seeing Miles’ joy--it is what parents do--but we also enjoyed being at the game.   I was very impressed by the crowd for multiple reasons. Miles wore a Packer’s wrestling mask over his face and a cheese-head wedge on his head, a Green Bay hoodie over his torso and Packers socks on his feet.   He was clearly not a Seahawks fan. And he was not the only non-Hawk fan in the crowd. There were many, many green and yellow clad people in the crowd. I estimate roughly a third of the people surrounding us were Packer fans. (We were in the upper part of the upper bowl...my guess is that there were a lot fewer Packer fans in the lower areas.)  There were enough Packers fans there that, in the game’s beginning, their “Go, Pack, Go!” chant was audible. Impressive that there were that many fans that far from home.

Also impressive were the Seahawks fans.   On the walk to the stadium, Miles experienced a little good natured ribbing but it was very good natured.   One Hawks fan said, in a distinctive southern drawl, “You wear that into the stadium and you may get mugged, man!   Especially when we win--and we gonna win--but don’t you worry none cuz I got your back. I gonna remember your face and I got your back.  Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you,” he promised with a grin.

Well…..our black friend was right about the Seahawks winning part---the Packers lost 24-27--but he was totally wrong about the mugging part.   I was so, SO impressed as we exited the stadium. Initially I was worried about my little boy (he will always be my little boy) walking out clad in full Packer regalia, that he would be harassed, humiliated, and worse but my fears were totally, TOTALLY groundless.   Not a word was said. No one even teased him, much less taunted him; nor did they tease or taunt any other of the hundreds of Packers fans who were also exiting. Impressive.

It was a wonderful weekend, and not just because Miles saw Aaron in action.   Hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law and their darling daughters was fabulous.  Thank you, Wright and Carole, for a truly magical experience.

As we walked out of the stadium Miles said, “This is NOT the last live NFL game I am going to see.”  

He will be back!  :)

​

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Operation:  Gratitude     SUCCESS

11/18/2018

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I was so scared.

Miles was nervous too.   “I just can’t wait for this day to be over,” he said repeatedly.  He’d been preparing for his Eagle Scout project months and dreading it for at least a week.   

Setting up booths in the Sand Ridge Junior High lunch room  and inviting students to write Thank You cards to servicemen and women seemed like a good idea initially but as the event grew closer the fear grew greater.   What if no one comes to the table? What if the kids totally ignore it or, worse, mock it? Junior high students can be such fickle creatures….. The possibility of fail was real….and scary.

We set up two tables in the lunchroom, one equipped with cards and pens, the second full of bling donated by Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marine recruiters.   The plan was to lure students over with the trinkets, persuade them to write a letter while they were there, and then reward them with bling.

Bling unnecessary.

Almost from the moment the first lunch bell rang, there were students at the table signing cards.   And they were not just signing cards, they were writing letters. Writing letters!!! I teach junior high students.  I know how hard it is to get them to write complete sentences, much less complete letters. Yet these incredible students were writing incredible letters.   And not just a few of them. LOTS of them.

Within the first few moments it was clear that one table was not enough.   We got a second table for the letter writers and probably could have filled several more.   Not once, during first or second lunch, was there a lasting gap at the letter writing table.   When one student finished writing a card, another student stepped in.

And, get this…..There were no chairs at the tables.   The students, about 130 of them, knelt to write the card.  In the lunchroom, in the midst of their friends, they knelt on the floor so they could write on the tables.   

Amazing.

Beautiful.

Wonderful.  Awesome. And inspiring.

Oh how I wish the naysayers--those people who lament about the youth of today--could have seen the Sand Ridge students.   They are fabulous people and our future is in good hands.

I will carry images of those kids in my heart forever, kneeling on the cafeteria floor, squinting as they looked up at the instructions on the poster, heads bent over cards, lips pursed as they intently and sometimes laboriously but always sincerely expressed their admiration and gratitude.   I took some absolutely darling photos of those amazing kids, pictures that capture their magnificence much better than my words do but, just before the end of second lunch, a SRJH administrator reminded me that I cannot post any photos of students unless I have parental permission. Yep. I should have known that.   So the fabulous photos will remain in Miles’ scrapbook and you will have to settle for my less-than-ideal word pictures.

I have, however, included photos of some of the letters they wrote.   Read through them. They are endearing, heartfelt, sincere, and very real.    Watching those students and reading their messages filled me with hope and gratitude and love.

I want to add my thanks to theirs.    Thank you to all who have served our great country and thank you to all who are grateful for their service and appreciative of it.

​

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"I cannot even imagine leaving my family and friends for so long by you do it without question and that's cool as crap man."
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"I have descendents in the armed forces. A lot actually....Thank you for fighting for me and them......My favorite food is meatloaf."
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"BYU doesn't suck and Utah won against Oregon so things are changing."
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"I want to be worthy of your sacrifice."
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"Whoever you're with I hope they give you as much joy as my dog gives me."
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"I hope you have some kind of fluffy or scaley companion."
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"I can imagine what our country would be like without you. I would not like a slave camp very much."
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"I like Incredibles 2"
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Operation: Gratitude

11/11/2018

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To all those who serve our country…..We want to say thank you!!!

Please join us in thanking our military servicemen and women, those who have served as well as those who are serving.

At Sand Ridge Junior High School, as his Eagle project, Miles is coordinating an “Operation: Gratitude” campaign.   During lunches, students will be invited to write THANK YOU cards to those who have served and are serving in our military.   We invite you to do the same.



​Following are the guidelines for the letters:
  1. Begin “Dear Service Member” or “Dear Hero”
  2. Express thanks
  3. Tell about self: family, hobbies, pets
  4. Talk about life here: sports, weather, music, movies
  5. If you are not sure what to say, draw a picture
  6. Please do NOT put a date on the letter
  7. If you are an adult, include contact information.
  8. End with “Sincerely” and sign name

From the Operation: Gratitude website:   “Every Operation Gratitude Care Package includes a bundle of letters from the American people, thanking Troops, Veterans, New Recruits, Wounded Heroes and their Caregivers, or First Responders for their service to our country. Care Package recipients tell us these letters, notes, and drawings are the most cherished items in their box.”  https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks/write-letters/

Please send or email your THANK YOU message to us.    We will put all the expressions of gratitude into a boxed bundle and send them to Operation: Gratitude.     thislop@msn.com  OR Operation: Gratitude, ℅ Miles Hislop, 1435 Lincoln Ave, Ogden, UT  84404.

Thank you.


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    Author

    Teresa Hislop
    thislop@msn.com

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